Standing United
by Wandering Letters
Summary: Crossed over with Cyberweasel89's Children Of Hades. Conflicts arise no matter how great the peace. It is how we handle these conflicts that shape each and every one of our futures. Alone we may struggle but together? We can overcome any obstacle. Rated M for sexual content and occasional profanity.
1. Submissions (Guide And Roster)

**(A/N): Hello to everyone! If you've clicked that link to come in here, it means you've found my idea even remotely interesting and perhaps, you're interested in participating?**

 **You're not? Then move right along to the story which begins in the next chapter. If you are interested in participating however:**

 **Carry on reading and find out what it takes to enter this rabbit hole of fun.**

 **~ o ~**

 **Special thanks to Cyberweasel89 for helping me with this thing! She's been an awesome help with this and I could never have done this without all her expertise.  
**

 **~ o ~**

 **EDIT (8/6/15):**

 **I'd like to take this opportunity to announce that _Standing United_ will be set in the same timeline as Cyberweasel's upcoming _Children Of Hades_ , so don't fret if a few characters do not appear in my story because odds are, she'll be more than happy to accommodate some of you! You can bet on crossovers happening!**

 **Seeing as I'm already in way over my head with a cast of almost 14 characters, not including side characters, I'm reaching my limit.**

 **I'd also like to take the opportunity to say that I am no longer accepting male characters, from this point on, females only.**

 **And also to clarify, only _one_ character per individual. It's ok to submit more than one to give us options to choose from but ultimately, only one will be accepted per person.**

 **I do sincerely apologize for not being receptive to everyone and responding to all of you; I've sifted through a tremendous number of submissions (around 38 characters total) these last two weeks and it's been my greatest challenge thus far in my writing career.**

 **Please, give me some time and I'll get to you as soon as I can.**

 **~ o ~**

* * *

 **EDIT (8/6/2015):**

 **Clarified a few sections further for a few readers who were having trouble understanding some things.**

* * *

 ** _Name_ : **_Self-explanatory. You can have a middle or last name if you want. Bear in mind that DanMachi doesn't really have "race" as it relates to Asian or Caucasian or things like that. You name can be English or even German or Russian. Get creative._

 ** _Sex_ : **_Self-explanatory. Amazons can only be female, though. Going against a race's more common sex (female dwarves, female boaz, male Cat People, etc.) is also encouraged._

 ** _Age:_** _Self-explanatory. Don't worry about life-span. Just go for it. Not ridiculously young, though. Wouldn't make sense for an eight year old to be an Adventurer, but hey, Bell is only 14 ( **seriously** )._

 ** _Race_ : **_The races that I've seen so far are Human, Elf, Cat, Boaz, Pallum, Dwarf, Werewolf and Runarl (Fox people), among others. You can hybridize up to two races if you'd like so long as you point out the parentage. Bear in mind that race will affect stats. To help you guys out, I will point out the bonuses each race gets as well as the cons. If you decide to hybridize, I'll make the best of both worlds. Also, this race list is **complete** , meaning that there are no other races in the world of DanMachi (that we have seen)._

* * *

 ** _For the love of god, please read this section; it pains me to reject decently crafted characters because they happen to be things like Orcs which do not exist in this world._**

* * *

\- _**Humans** don't get a bonus to anything but they are the most balanced race with no deficiencies in any stat. It's also for this reason that they are generally considered the weakest race, since being specialized is far more useful._

\- _Though_ _**Elves** are stated to only have a bonus to Magic, I'm going to allow them to have a bonus to Dexterity and Agility as well to kind of keep the whole elven archer theme going. They level up Endurance and Strength slower than **ANY** other race as well. Elves also have enhanced senses in comparison to most of the other races, mostly hearing and magic-sensing. Dark Elves and High Elves are both sub-races, with Dark Elves being dark-skinned and High Elves being royalty._

 _- **Dwarves** are essentially the same as in any other RPG type world. They have great Endurance and Strength but lack in Agility and Dexterity, as well as magic._

 _- **Pallum** is essentially a race of shorter individuals. Really hobbits in everything but name. The only ones we are truly familiar with are Lili and Finn (Captain of the Loki Familia) but we don't know anything about their bonuses or the like. It could be presumed that they focus on Dexterity, seeing as Lili has relative skill with a crossbow and it's stated crossbows are a specially-made Pallum weapon intended to compensate for their small size._

 _- **Amazons** are an all-female race of dark-skinned warriors. They mate with male humans and bear full-blooded Amazons despite this, having to leave their villages as part of a rite of passage to find a man and do so. They specialize in Strength and Endurance, average Dexterity and Agility, but generally weak Magic. I will, however, allow them to bear full-blooded Amazon children with Elves as well, just to make things more fun._

\- **_Cat People_ ** (yes, that's ACTUALLY the name) level up Agility and Dexterity faster and naturally are the fastest and most agile race. They also have the worst Strength and Endurance of all the races with the exception of Pallum. Due to their ears, they have a much better sense of hearing than any other race.

 _- **Chienthropes** are dog people. They specialize in Endurance and Agility, and naturally have bloodhound like senses of smell and enhanced hearing. Like dogs, they are fiercely loyal to friends._

 _- **Hume Bunnies** are rabbit people. They are THE speed kings of the DanMachi world, generally lacking in other stats, except a relatively high Magic, but are very prone to gaining the Luck Development Ability to make up for it. Like rabbits, they tend to be a bit... loose._

 _- **Runarl** are essentially fox people. Their focus is mainly Agility and Magic. Like foxes, they take repaying debts very seriously._

 _- **Werewolves** do not abide by the usual rules of the species. They do not transform into wolves during full moons. They also have wolf ears and a tail. It can be presumed that they have enhanced senses, notably their sense of smell. These guys are better at Strength and Agility based on that but will lack in Magic, Endurance and Dexterity._

 _- **War Tigers** are tiger people. Unlike their Cat People cousins, their main focus is Strength, Endurance, and Agility, but generally are lacking in Dexterity and Magic._

 _- **Boaz** are essentially boar people. I'd assume that they specialize in Strength and Endurance considering that's what a boar is known most for but they will lack in Agility and Dexterity, as well as Magic._

 _- **Spirits** are the favored race of the Gods, and like them, cannot have children. They are based around a single element and take a form associated with that element, like gnomes for Earth. They specialize solely in Magic, and can cast their own brand of Magic unique to their species, but generally can't cast outside of their natural element._

 _- **Half-Elves** and **Half-Dwarves:** Both are the only revealed halfbreed races so far. Half-Elves are elves with shorter ears and probably more rounded stats than a full-blooded Elf. Half-Dwarves are taller and thinner than a Dwarf, and also have more rounded stats due to their half-Human heritage. Though these are the only revealed canon half-breeds, other combinations of two races are allowed within reason._

 _ **Familia:** Feel free to pick any you want though the story will very likely focus on Hestia and Loki's familias. Also, if you intend for your character to join at a level higher than 1 to Hestia's familia, seeing as the story is already in progress, your character will have to go through process called Conversion. It is basically a small ritual which will allow your character to join another familia with the drawback of being unable to change to another one for a year. The same goes for Loki (unless you're already a part of it)._

 _ **Level:** You are not allowed to create a character higher than level 3 for the sake of the story's flow. Don't worry, level 3 is decently strong especially outside of the city of Orario. The maximum level is 10, but the highest any one in the history of DanMachi's world has ever been able to go is 7. Among other things, this determines how many skills and spells you can have at a time. Also one thing to note about leveling up: it is mostly at **random**. It's **not** just leveling your skills to S and then leveling up like in Skyrim. Leveling up actually has a lot to do with the feats you accomplish. An example of this is that Aiz leveled up to 6 by saving Bell in the anime. She leveled up from that because it was a heroic act, which deemed her worthy of leveling up._

 _ **Basic Abilities:** This section is gonna be a little bit strange to calculate so I'll try to explain it as best I can. In this world, you only level up when your god/goddess "updates your status" and until you do so, you can level up all of your abilities to a maximum of a grade of S (S is the highest, I is the lowest I've seen thus far). Once you update, your stats will reset but will have greater "hidden values" in each stat. Even if two Adventurers have the same value in Strength, the one of higher level is still much stronger due to these hidden values that carry over. To put this into perspective, I'll do an example below:_

 **~ o ~**

 _Arno is an **assassin**. He specializes in making swift and precise attacks with his daggers and is also skilled in throwing weapons. From this, we can deduce that Arno trains his Agility and Dexterity to great levels in order to keep himself ahead of the game because it is his style. Here's an example stat page with an explanation of each stat and how to level each of them up:_

 _- **Strength** : Determines how much melee damage you do with most weapons and determines how strong you are overall. This is leveled up by landing melee attacks on enemies._  
 _- **Dexterity** : Determines how accurate and skilled you are with ranged weapons of all kinds and weapons of skill. This is leveled up by landing hits with ranged weapons or performing sneak attacks._  
 _- **Endurance** : Determines how much damage you can take before getting knocked out or killed. This is leveled up by blocking attacks or getting hit and surviving._  
 _- **Agility** : Determines how fast and agile you are. This is leveled up by fleeing from enemies or dodging attacks._  
 _- **Magic** : Determines how powerful your spells are as well as how skilled you are at using them. This is leveled up by casting spells._

 _For Arno's case, he relies on speed and precision to defeat his enemies. From this, we can determine that he focuses on Dexterity and Agility above all else._

 _- **Strength** : G200_  
 _- **Dexterity** : A825_  
 _- **Endurance** : F320_  
 _- **Agility** : A852_  
 _- **Magic** : H180_

 _The numbers are a lot more random than they actually appear to be but again, it's just an example. As you level up, you get a greater hidden value for each stat. Now any smart adventurer would level every single stat to S and then update but you know, that's pretty boring don't you think? For the sake of no one becoming Superman (we all know how broken that guy is), let's roll with just what stats your class will use. I don't want any class exceeding three stats at a high level (and they better be for a logical reason too). If you don't understand the numbers system, just leave a grade for the skills and we'll work it out for you._

 **~ o ~**

 _ **Development Abilities:** These are essentially abilities that your character can develop upon leveling up. You will begin to gain these at level 2 and onwards. Exactly which abilities develop depends on your feats and what you do. Think of these as kind of the profession or mastery system in an MMORPG. On Level up, you can get one automatically, choose from several at a time, or both. I'll give a good example below to explain._

 _ **Aiz Wallenstein** has three development abilities:_

 _ **\- Abnormal Resistance** (increases her resistance against poison. Poison is common in the Dungeon, so this Development Ability is widely picked around Level 3 for how useful it is)_  
 _ **\- Swordsmanship** (dictates how skilled she is with a sword and also gives her bonus damage when using a sword)_

 _However, there are very rare abilities like the next one:_  
 _- **Hunter** (dictates how easily she can handle monsters and gives her bonus damage based on the rank)._

 _ **Hunter** is considered rare because it requires the person to have slain a **HUGE** number of monsters **before** _ Level _2\. Aiz has a reputation of slaying an untold number of monsters during her career as an Adventurer even before level 2 so it makes sense for her to have it._

 _These abilities level up very slowly in comparison to your stats so this is more of a long period bonus than an immediately noticeable one. Most only rank up when you Level Up, and may not even do so then. Since we don't know that many of them in the current universe, I'll allow all of you to choose from the existing ones so long as you can logically explain why they have it. I'm also going to allow each character to have a "profession". Meaning something that they can do when they aren't in the dungeon to make some money. I'll put a few options I've conjured up below:_

 _- **Tailoring** \- Dictates skill at weaving cloth armor. The higher the grade, the better quality the user can produce. At higher levels, the user can imbue magical properties into the armor they create using Drop Items._  
 _- **Artist** \- Dictates skill at things such as drawing and painting. The higher the grade, the better quality works they can produce and hence, the more money they can make from selling them._  
 _- **Performer** \- Dictates skill in dancing, singing or acting. The higher the grade, the better quality material the user can produce and hence, the more famous they become and the more they get paid to do them._

 _Bear in mind that Development Abilities do **not** mean the same thing as knowledge. A Ranger can know what different herbs do by just studying them but does not require a development ability to make use of that knowledge. Development Abilities can also apply to an action that you think your character is specifically good at. An example of this is something like Running, which would make your character noticeably faster and overall better at running than others. If you have a question about this, feel free to shoot me a message and I'll try to explain further._

 _ **Spells:** As I've discovered in this world, spells here are cookie cutter single use spells. Unlike in a lot of other universes where being able to use ice spells implies that you have a mastery over the element and as such are able to do other things besides just shoot a bolt, this world says that there is a spell for everything instead. That was a fatal error on my previous attempt at this thing._

 _Spells however are_ _broad with there literally being a spell for just about anything. A few things to note about spells:_

 _\- They have **chants** (though the length can vary depending on the power of the spell) as well as cast times. If you guys want to create a chant, feel free to do so otherwise, I will try my best to come up with something cool._  
 _\- They expend the user's stamina; there is no mana in this world. Using a spell will tire you based on how much you use it and how powerful it is. The magic stat can help to reduce the strain on the body._  
 _\- They usually have single uses but have numerous applications. An example is Bell's **Firebolt**. Though it appears to be a projectile and nothing more, he could use it to do things such as ignite oil, shoot it into natural gas to make it explode or even dry out water._

 **~ o ~**

 _ **The name of the game here is to think of creative uses of the spells you choose. A basic rule of thumb is "the spell only does one thing, it all depends on where and how you apply it."**_

 **~ o ~**

 _For melee characters, I will allow a maximum of two spells as long as they make sense. For caster focused characters, level 3 adventurers commonly have around six or seven spells so that's your limit for that level. And please...try to stick to one element or a theme. I don't want there being someone who's basically the damn Avatar._

 _ **Skills:** Now **HERE ** is the section that completely confused me at first. Skills in this world aren't attacks; they're abilities that adventurers develop based on their desires and needs. I'll give you a prime example of such a thing:_

 _\- Bell's **Realis Phrase** developed mostly from his feelings for wanting to catch up quickly to Aiz. As he didn't want to do so for simple rivalry, but rather to protect her out of love, this was considered a noble application for the Skill and as a result of this desire, he developed it._  
 _\- Bell's **Argonaut** developed from his sheer desire to become a hero._

 _Skills primarily are meant to supplement the character's other abilities or provide a passive effect that is triggered by conditions or always on. Some, though rare, are " **Active Trigge** r" and can be used at will, like Bell's **Argonaut** , which is actively triggered to charge any attack. Another thing to note is that Skills must have some kind of drawback. For example, Bell's **Realis Phrase** does not have any effect on his growth when he is not under emotional duress, rendering it otherwise useless._

 _Here's some examples of each of the three types:_

 _ **Conditional** \- These Skills are triggered automatically based on outside and situational conditions. For example, it may trigger automatically only when the user takes damage, faints, sees an ally faint, or just in a pinch or dire situation. Something like " **Martyr** " would bring all allies up to full strength automatically only when the person with the Skill fell unconscious, fainted, was knocked out, or killed in combat, or something like " **Fight or Flight** ," which boosts speed immensely in a dire situation for the purposes of fleeing. Triggers for this type of skill can include emotions as well, so anger for example can trigger something like **Berserk** , which causes the user to get a drastic increase to Strength when enraged._

 _ **Active Trigger** \- Active Trigger Skills are always off unless triggered intentionally, but are never attacks, instead just supplementing other attacks or performing a supportive function like sensing things. An example would be " **Bide** ," which would make the user set into a state of total relaxation to suppress any and all reactions and feelings, and the more pain, emotions, or urges they suppress during that time, the more they can dish out on their next attack. Another example would be " **Endure** ," which would allow one to temporarily dull pain, stop bleeding, and keep wounds closed just long enough to finish the fight, but would crash afterwards._

 _ **Passive** \- Passive Skills are always on no matter what, though that doesn't mean their effects are constantly shown. Something like " **In Shining Armor** " would give a knight character resistance to magic, or something like " **Lightfoot** " would make someone's movements silent._

 _ **Weapons:** Limit of two, and generally not too different from each other. It wouldn't make much sense to devote equal time and skill to both a bow and sword, especially when one is Strength and the other Dexterity. Picture the second weapon as a backup that you aren't so proficient with in comparison to your primary one._

 _ **Equipment:** Adventuring gear as well as other things relating to their role. Armor is the best example, but also things like blacksmithing tools, weapon cleaning kits, alchemist brewing sets, cooking tools, maybe even a Magic Item, etc._

 _ **Appearance:** Writing is using words to paint a vivid image in motion to convey ideas, meanings, and emotions, so character appearances need to be known. Things like hair color, eye color, hair styles, skin color, height, weight, body shape, figure, bust size, general expression, and common outfits are all a must. If you aren't good at describing people, directing me to a picture will suffice. Oh, default clothing when not in adventuring gear also goes here, so we have an idea of what they wear while just chilling in the city or something._

 _ **Personality:** This section needs the most attention. Things like the character's positive traits, negative traits, quirks, mannerisms, phobias, hobbies, ideals, philosophies, and even just general attitude are all a must. Justifications for why they have those traits help, but can generally inferred from their Background. Note that no one should be perfect. Since DanMachi has no ultimate villain, conflict should obviously come from small things, inner and past demons (figuratively, of course) and character interaction. Drama and conflict, especially within a single Familia, are not a bad thing._

 _ **Background:** No novels, obviously, but a good description of the highlights of your character's past are needed. Things like where they came from (and not just location, but lifestyle and family life), how they ended up where they are today, any major events that shaped them, and how they came to join their Familia. If there's anything from your character's past that could come back to haunt them or simply needs to be dealt with in the future, even just for them to find peace or strengthen their resolve, detail it briefly but clearly._

 _ **Relationships:** This is how they interact with people, especially the rest of the cast. In a world with no true villain, character interaction is far more vital in this story than others, since conflicts form that way. When you invent your character, I want you to run through the whole selected cast and give me an idea of how they would get along with that person. Would they be a romance interest? A friendly rivalry? Hell, do they flat-out hate each other? It would give me an idea that isn't based solely on differences in personality or ideals. Below, you'll see each of the characters in the final section of the chapter. Go ahead and check them out. You can follow this format below to write out that section:_

 _\- Your God/Goddess:_

 _\- Takashi Mashiro:_

 _\- Hanna Lee:_

 _\- Ami Lee:_

 _\- Ayame Aledria:_

 _\- Akio Homura:_

 _\- Mira Hitsuka:_

 _\- Vanna Stillwind:_

 _\- Nana Ito:_

 _\- Matilda Flynn:_

 ** _Notes:_** _If there's anything you want to point out about your character that just doesn't seem to fit in with the other sections, drop it here in the same format as shown below. Random facts like favorite pastimes, blood type or just some little fun facts to and some spice to them is welcome here._

* * *

 _ **EDIT (8/9/2015):**_

 **Even more characters have been added to be introduced into the story. For all those in question on whether your character has made it or not, you now have some time to do some revisions if you have not appeared in this list. This list represents characters who have been fully edited and ready to be used in the story without any kind of setback. If you do not see yourself here and I have not responded to you, the character is in review until further notice by either myself or Cyberweasel89. You can message either of us if you have any questions.**

* * *

 **Here are the characters who have made it into the cast so far. I'll update this section as more come into the mix as I've only placed the characters I've totally worked out. If you've been sent a message saying that you have been accepted and don't see your character in the roster, rest assured it's coming; it's still in progress as Cyberweasel and I have a load of conversions and other things to work out behind the scenes.**

 **In addition to the information, if any changes happen in story, I will update them here as well.**

 **~ o ~**

 **Name:** Takashi Mashiro  
 **Sex:** Male  
 **Race:** Elf  
 **Age:** 22  
 **Familia:** Hestia

 **Personality:** A textbook example of the silent, heroic type. Takashi has always been an elf of few words but when the situation gets tough, he always manages to maintain a calm mind. Very difficult to intimidate and usually a cold and emotionless person though he does have a kind streak. He shows this side especially to Hestia, seeing as she is the only one to have made a bond with him since the death of his parents opened up his softer side, which he often shows only to her. He's very affectionate and will do anything for the people he cares about. He has a deep fear of being entrapped by fire due to an early childhood experience and even though he is a loner by nature, he does suffer from lack of a real relationship apart from his goddess.

Takashi also has a very strong sense of justice, actively taking on tasks for the good of others and risking his life to protect even strangers should the situation arise. He likes to eat good food as well and is happiest when he has his favorite meal in front of him along with good elvish mead. He also has a competitive streak, having no qualms in accepting a challenge from others.

Takashi does however have a much darker nature inside of him and does his best to keep his rage in check, otherwise, it turns him into a ruthless killer and armed with his skillset, it will make him a force to be reckoned with.

 **Appearance:** 5' 10" and weighs 140 pounds. Athletic build with defined muscles though never reaches a large or bulking size. Spiky black hair left to flare over his golden eyes. Has slightly longer elf ears than usual. Commonly wears long sleeved clothing due to his dislike of being cold. Always carries an amulet that he wears around his neck (his mother made it for him) which is comprised of a sapphire pendant and a golden chain. He never removes it unless he is going into water or bathing.

 **Background:** Born in an elvish village in the northern mountains, Takashi trained with a bow when he was first able to wield it. At the age of 14, he was already adept enough to hunt for his family if his father was unable to do so. His father also taught him survival skills, knowing that one day, Takashi would have to venture out on his own to find his own path. However, tragedy struck when a group of bandits raided the village. In the chaos, Takashi's father was killed and his mother kidnapped and sold into slavery. Takashi barely managed to escape and spent the next 7 years fending and surviving on his own. It isn't until he nears the city of Orario that his tale truly begins...

 **Level:** 3

 **Basic Abilities:**

\- Strength: G320  
\- Dexterity: S973  
\- Endurance: D520  
\- Agility: S968  
\- Magic: C610

 **Development Abilities:**

\- Archery: H **(Acquired this and Hunter at level 1)**  
\- Alchemy: G  
\- Hunter: I  
\- Abnormal Resistance: I **(Acquired at level 3)**

 **Spells:**

\- **Greensprout** : Allows the user to sprout and grow plants rapidly.

\- **Inner Beast** : Allows the user to shapeshift into their spirit animal.

In Takashi's case, it is the form of a snow white wolf.

While in beast form, the user cannot speak and cannot make use of their usual abilities or skills but their stats do carry over and are enhanced according to the form taken. One thing to note about this spell is that unlike others, it does not strain the user's body to maintain nor does it require a chant. Another thing to notice about this spell is that it is more difficult to cast and maintain when inexperienced. While in beast form (especially if it is a feral beast or one with very powerful primal instincts), the user is subject to to losing their logical mind due to them now relying much more on their primal instincts. They cannot shift out of the form unless they have the like mind to undo the spell mentally, which means anger and rage will cause them to lose themselves and truly, become a beast. **(Acquired after reading the grimoire given to him by Ellis Allons)**

 **Skills:**

\- **Hawk-Eye** : Passively grants the user much greater accuracy and depth perception. Also allows the user to enter a state of focus, allowing them to aim their shots much faster.  
\- **Swift** : Passively makes the user noticeably faster than the standard adventurer. When in a pinch, the user can accelerate their speed drastically. This speed is great enough to outpace the human eye and even give elven eyes issues with keeping up. Overuse of this skill tires the user out quickly.  
\- **Animal Whispering** : Allows the user to communicate with animals. The user can detect and decipher animal brainwaves into his/her own dialect and vice versa. Animals are also naturally much less hostile to the person possessing this skill. This skill does not affect feral animals or animals with mind control spells afflicting them.

 **Weapons:**

\- **Elven Mirkwood Bow** : Buys this bow from his friend in Rivira. This shortbow is virtually unbreakable as is its bowstring. It is also much lighter than the standard shortbow, despite its much higher capacity of causing damage. Receives this bow after his first one is broken in the dungeon.  
\- Hunting Dagger

 **Equipment:**

\- Ranger's Armor  
\- Alchemist's Kit  
\- Quiver

 **Relationships:**

 **\- Hestia:** Loves her like his second mother and will do absolutely anything for her. Hestia is the deepest bond that he has and she is the only one he confides in until he meets the rest of his familia.  
 **\- Hanna Lee:** Respects her abilities and is interested in seeing how she develops as an adventurer. Tries to guide her along the right path, showing her that revenge is not the way to go.  
 **\- Amie Lee:** Respects Amie's love for her older sister and admires how far she goes for her. He views Amie like a little sister, often going out of his way to ensure she is alright more than any other member of the familia.  
 **\- Vanna Stillwind:** Considers her a worthy rival as they compete to be the best rangers they can be. Aside from a friendly rivalry, considers her one of his closest friends after having spent a lot of time fighting side by side with her and trusts her with his life. She is the only person who Takashi believes can out shoot him with a bow.  
 **\- Nana Ito:** Begrudgingly views her like a mean older sister and gets very irritated at her constant teasing. After having saved her life, he cares deeply for her and despite the cold way he treats her at times, he goes to her for advice, especially about women. Nana is the only person to have ever gotten Takashi to open up about his feelings, a feat that not even Hestia has accomplished.  
 **\- Akio Homura:** Considers him a trustworthy ally and views him like a brother. Due to the tremendous amount of time they spent together in the Dungeon, he also trusts Akio with his life. Takashi also trusts in Akio's judgment, following his plans to the syllable and believing in his ability to call shots and make decisions for the group. Despite Akio looking up to Takashi like a leader, Takashi believes Akio himself is a far better leader than he could ever be.  
 **\- Ayame Aledria:** Trusts her fully after the ordeal they went through in the dungeon when they first met. Takashi shows great concern for her, most notably due to their similar backgrounds and common enemy. Initially, he sees her an a great ally and a good friend. However, he shows sign of an even deeper interest in her and often gets tongue tied when she is the topic of conversation.  
 **\- Mira Hitsuka:** Finds her clumsy nature amusing at times but fully respects her combat prowess. Takashi is also the one who introduced her to the leatherworker that made her armor. Trusts her deeply and shows an interest in learning more about her mysterious past.  
 **\- Matilda Flynn:** Saved her from a swarm of Killer Ants. Spent four months with her and considers her a friend and a valuable ally. Despite considering her attractive, he is the only one who seems to be immune to her advances, often turning down her offers of perversion without batting an eye. This however does not stop it from irritating him slightly whenever she **DOES** makes advances at him.

 **Notes:**

\- Has a pet dire wolf named Fang. Fang is a large black wolf, more than capable of carrying two people on her back and is strong enough to fend for herself in most cases. Fang was tamed as a result of Takashi's Animal Whispering skill. She effectively serves as Takashi's supporter and is his closest friend apart from Hestia.  
\- Brews potions and sells them in when not adventuring and is one of the authorities on herbs and potions in Orario.  
\- Volunteers in Nana's Flower Shop, usually as a delivery boy or a caretaker.  
\- Takashi is very skilled with wind instruments, most notably the ocarina and the flute. This is also his favorite pastime.  
\- Takashi's favorite type of food is spicy.  
\- Takashi doesn't ordinarily drink, but does enjoy Elven brews.  
\- Takashi's blood type is O-.

 **Changes Post Timeskip:**

\- Takashi has fallen in love with Ayame.  
\- Takashi spent half a year in wolf form and hasn't shifted back to elf form since then.  
\- Takashi's hair grew out more and he grew slightly taller.  
\- Takashi has mastered the Inner Beast spell, now fully able to control himself whilst in it.  
\- Takashi's skill in Alchemy and Archery went up by one letter grade due to tremendous practice during the timeskip.

 **~ o ~**

 **Name:** Nana Ito  
 **Race:** Half Cat/Half Elf (Cat mother, Elf father)  
 **Age:** 22  
 **Sex:** Female  
 **Familia:** Hestia  
 **Level:** 3

 **Appearance:** Shoulder blade length Silver ombre'd into rose gold coloured hair. Fair skin and pale grey eyes. Has cat ears (due to the cat side of her heritage being the dominant one) but does not have a tail. 5' 8" and 132lbs. Nicely toned body with decent amounts of curves. 32C. Usually dressed in a fashion forward casual look comprised of a t-shirt or loose blouse tucked into tailored pants, shorts or skirts (depending on her mood). She is always wearing some sort of heels.

 **Personality:** Nosy, flirtatious and overall a tease. Despite this, Nana has strong maternal instincts, especially when it comes to her younger half sister Hikari. She tends to be selfish at times but in most cases but will eventually open up to those who spend a lot of time with her. It is difficult to get beyond her facade of smiles and laughs because beneath it lies an injured soul with a tremendous amount of pain lying in her past. She enjoys being successful and is happiest when things work out for the best and everyone gets their fair share (especially herself). Has a phobia of rejection.

 **Background:** Has a very hazy memory of her childhood, doesn't know her mother but has faint dreams of how she looks. She grew up with her father, who only paid attention to her when she did a good deed. Nana became very independent, street smart and kept to herself, largely pretending as if her father didn't. She continued to train until she believed herself able to search look for her mother. She decides that her goal is to reunite and figure out who this mother figure is as well as to investigate a rumor of a half-sister due to her father having an affair. In her travels, she became a dancer and as a result, is very well known by locals. She then happens upon Orario, where she hopes to become stronger to one day, meet her mother and find her half sister.

 **Basic Abilities:**

\- Strength: C611  
\- Endurance: F340  
\- Dexterity: S901  
\- Agility: A887  
\- Magic: B786

 **Development Abilities:**

\- Whipmanship: I  
\- Performer: G  
\- Sorcery: I

 **Spells:**

\- **Circle Of Flame** \- Surrounds a target or creates an area of intense flame. Targets inside will suffer tremendous fire damage and cannot move unless they are willing to run through the flames, which are hotter than the immediate area within the circle.  
\- **Flame On** \- Imbues all weapons and armor for a set duration. While weapons are enchanted, they deal bonus fire damage and can leave lingering flames, causing damage over time in addition to increasing the cutting power of all blades heated up. While armor is enchanted, greatly increases the armor value and gives a moderate boost to Endurance and all attackers suffer fire damage upon striking a bearer. While enchanted, all bearers become extremely resistant to fire and wind. This spell can be cast on the multiple people though the more people enchanted, the more the spell strains the user.

 **Skills:**

\- **Dancer's Alacrity** : Grants increased reflexes and gives a greater threshold to Agility and Dexterity, to a maximum of SS. In addition, in a pinch, grants the user a tremendous burst of speed.  
\- **Grifter's Instinct** : A passive skill that allows the user to detect when a person is lying. It also gifts them with better analytical skills, more easily able to break down scenarios and what they see and work through them, and gives them better intuition and gut instincts. Also gives the person good in general money and financial tasks.  
\- **The Inferno Within** : In dire situations or when emotions run high, fire spells get hotter to the point of even changing color. Depending on how intense the emotion is, the fire will increase in intensity, shifting from blue to even white. White is the highest temperature which is capable of evaporating water instantly.

 **Relationships:**

\- **Hestia** : Loves her like her mother/sister interchangeably as the situation changes. Loves to play with her and often likes to come up with mischievous plans with her, especially when it comes to Takashi.  
\- **Takashi Mashiro** : Looks at him like a little brother. Despite this, she absolutely adores teasing him, often making joking advances towards him as well as teasing him about his feelings for women. Despite being mischievous, she cares deeply for him and will do anything for his sake, especially after he saved her life.  
\- **Hanna Lee** : Views her almost like a daughter rather than a little sister. Hanna comes to her for advice on most matters and looks up to her like an idol.  
\- **Amie Lee** : Same as Hanna, except more like a daughter due to her younger age as well as her relative frailty. Nana is often the one who takes care of Amie whenever her sister is not around.  
\- **Ayame Aledria** : Greatly respects her control over magic and views her as one of the most valuable members of the familia. Nana always looks out for Ayame, playing a big sister role but to a lesser extent than Takashi due to Ayame's inherent independence. This does not stop her from trying to play matchmaker however and will actively scheme with Hestia and Vanna to get her to open up to Takashi.  
\- **Akio Homura** : Like Takashi, Nana loves to tease Akio, especially about Relia who he spends the most time with. However, she does not give him advice as she believes he is smart enough to make his own decisions. She trusts him deeply, viewing him as a great comrade and an excellent tactical mind, believing in all of his plans and never once questioning them.  
\- **Mira Hitsuka** : Loves her to pieces and considers her a blood relative due to their similar heritage. Is often with Mira having fun, especially going to a tavern and dancing with her. Greatly respects Mira skill with her scythe as well as her mastery of magic. She also finds Mira's clumsiness particularly amusing.  
\- **Vanna Stillwind** : Admire's Vanna's goal of becoming the best ranger in all of Orario and does everything she can to help her achieve it. She likes to scheme with Vanna about many things, especially when it comes to Ayame and Takashi.  
 **\- Matilda Flynn:** Adores Matilda's almost childlike ignorance of the concept of modesty and absolutely loves to work with her to tease others. Despite considering her very silly and a klutz most times, she admires her ability in healing magic. She however, tries not to trust Matilda with delicate tasks due to her almost supernatural talent of ending up in compromising positions and/or naked in some shape or respect.

 **Notes:**

\- Owns and runs a flower shop called Kānēshon, which is erected in Hestia's honor.  
\- Nana, unlike other Cats, can willingly suppress the arousal that ordinarily occurs when her ears are rubbed. She trained herself to do this.  
\- Nana loves shopping.  
\- Nana's personal favorite pastime is dancing in private.

 **Changes Post Timeskip:**

\- Nana now owns the most successful flower shop in all of Orario, the Kānēshon and Hestia has become the "mascot" for the shop.  
\- Nana's skill as a performer went up one grade due to lots of practice as well as performances.  
\- Nana spent most of her time taking care of the shop and performing rather than in the dungeon unlike the rest of the familia.  
\- Nana misses Takashi more than most of the familia; she grew to love him as her brother.  
\- Nana lost to Mira in a sparring match, claiming that she's "too damn good with that scythe".  
\- Grew very close to everyone in the familia, especially to Mira, Hestia and Matilda.  
\- Adopted a wolf puppy after finding him on a trip to the mountains. With no family in sight, she assumed his parents were killed by poachers and took him home one month before the end of the timeskip. She names him Kei. Kei is a grey wolf with an unusually bright coat of fur, making him appear almost silver.

 **~ o ~**

 **Name** : Vanna Stillwind  
 **Race** : Human  
 **Sex:** Female  
 **Age** : 18  
 **Familia** : Hestia

 **Appearance:** 5' 6" 120lbs. Athletic build though not clearly defined. Long chocolate brown hair, dark brown eyes and skin just slightly paler than cream. Usually wears conservative clothing, revealing only her legs often times if she isn't covered from head to toe. Has a tendency to wear a cloak and cover her head. Modest bust size, though not well endowed. Never removes her father's ring unless she's going into water or bathing.

 **Personality:** For the most part, Vanna is a warm individual, completely contrast to her abilities. She is initially very distrustful of others, especially people who are overly friendly towards her. She tends to always have one foot in the door with people unless they prove themselves trustworthy. Though she is kind to those close to her, she is not selfless and will absolutely choose to save herself instead of a friend if there is no other choice. She also likes to be helpful, often volunteering wherever she can to help others.

 **Background:** Vanna trained from the day she was first able to wield a bow by her father, who was a level 5 adventurer under the familia of Apollo. At the age of 16, Vanna's father passed away from a terminal illness, leaving her on her own. Leaving everything she had behind, she began her journey to find her own path to greatness. During the two years she wandered, she became a very accomplished archer and even developed a reputation for her accuracy with it. By the time she arrived to Orario, she was already well known as one of the best shots around. Vanna hopes to one day return to her hometown when she is strong enough to face her mother, who never accepted that it was her destiny to become an adventurer.

 **Level** : 3 **(Becomes Level 4 during the timeskip)**

 **Basic Abilities** :

\- Strength: G250  
\- Dexterity: S950  
\- Endurance: G210  
\- Agility: A820  
\- Magic: B740

 **Development Abilities** :

\- Archery: H  
\- Fletching: H  
\- Hunter: I  
\- Sorcery: I **(Acquired at Level 4)**

 **Spells** :

\- **Freeze** : Allows the user to freeze any body of water within range.  
\- **Icebolt** : Allows the user to fire a bolt of ice. If cast multiple times on the same target, has a chance to freeze the target solid.  
\- **Snowstorm:** Allows the user to conjure a snowstorm. **(Acquired after earning a grimoire from Eliss Allons upon reaching level 4 and surpassing Takashi)**

 **Skills** :

\- **Let Fly** : Causes the user to enter an adrenaline fueled state, increasing the speed at which they can fire arrows as well as aim them. While in this state, the user's senses are augmented and drastically increases damage output by allowing them to quickly load and fire arrows without pause.  
\- **Fleetfoot** : Naturally grants the user greater balance and agility, especially in trees. When in a pinch, grants the user a tremendous burst of speed and greater reaction times to escape.  
\- **True Aim** : Allows the user to imbue their next shot with their energy. If the shot connects, it will pierce the target (unless it is very sturdy) and deal tremendous damage. The more energy channeled, the more powerful the shot. The arrow will not stop until it hits a wall.

 **Relationships** :

 **\- Hestia:** Loves her like a mother but dislikes her perverted tendencies. Considers Hestia wise but immature.  
 **\- Hanna Lee:** Respects her abilities and is interested in seeing how she develops as an adventurer. Tries to guide her along the right path, showing her that revenge is not the way to go especially after having overcome the desire for the latter herself. Also shows a particular interest in her ability to control electricity.  
 **\- Amie Lee:** Respects Amie's love for her older sister and admires how far she goes for her. Tries to teach Amie that Hanna's view of the world is not something she should follow as revenge leads to many more hardships.  
 **\- Nana Ito:** Begrudgingly views her like a mean older sister and gets very irritated at her constant teasing of men. This however does not stop her from scheming with her about things concerning Akio and Takashi. Views Nana as her partner in crime but also looks up to her as an idol due to her strong maternal instincts as well as her ability as an adventurer.  
 **\- Akio Homura:** Considers him a trustworthy ally and views him like a brother. Due to the tremendous amount of time they spent together in the Dungeon, she also trusts Akio with her life much like Takashi. She will however question Akio's plans at times due to her much more independent nature.  
 **\- Ayame Aledria:** Trusts her fully after the ordeal they went through in the dungeon when they first met, especially after she saved Takashi's life. She sees her an a great ally and a good friend.  
 **\- Mira Hitsuka:** Finds her clumsy nature hilarious though rarely shows her amusement. Trusts her deeply and shows an interest in learning more about her mysterious past.  
 **\- Matilda Flynn:** Finds her excessive clumsiness irritating and embarrassing. Is also jealous of how much more...endowed she is in comparison to herself. Despite this, after seeing how proficient she is at being a healer, she fully trusts in her...though doesn't do so with the most positive of attitudes.

 **Notes** :

\- Works as a fletcher in the Tower Of Babel when not adventuring.  
\- Volunteers at the Kānēshon when not fletching, usually as a cashier.  
\- Vanna enjoys food, often being the one who eats the most and yet...does not gain weight.  
\- Has a deep appreciation for musical talent.  
\- Vanna wants to challenge Takashi to a shootout one day.

 **Changes Post Timeskip:**

\- Vanna is now the strongest member of the familia as she is the only one who has passed Level 3.  
\- Vanna has become the lead hunter in Takashi's absence, fulfilling a similar role as he did for the administration.  
\- Trained extensively, causing her Archery to grow a grade.  
\- Took lessons in magic from Riveria, causing her to develop the Sorcery development ability upon reaching Level 4.  
\- Vanna has grown closer to everyone and has completely dropped the hardass persona, now much more easygoing and social.  
\- Vanna developed feelings for Akio, but realizes that Relia is the one who has his affections and has learned to view him as her best friend.

 **~ o ~**

 **Name:** Ayame Aledria  
 **Age:** 19  
 **Race:** Elf  
 **Familia:** Hestia **(Formerly Ares)**

 **Level:** 2 **(Becomes Level 3 during the timeskip)**

 **Appearance:** Long, snow white hair. Crystal white eyes and a skin tone just a few shades shy of salmon. Prefers to wear a white sundress that exposes a moderate amount of skin most times but is known to sometimes wear long sleeved clothing, especially during winter times. 5' 6" and weighs 110 lbs. Has quite a defined figure despite not training much physically. Smaller than average bust size, but is by no means an ironing board.

 **Personality:** Very shy and quiet, preferring to spend most of her time alone or with Meiryo. Extremely wise for her age and very independent due to her previous lifestyle of being a drifter. She is however very kind towards whom she is comfortable with. She can also be very blunt, often not able to tell when a comment is offensive or not. She has a fear of drowning, as she did not learn how to swim at any point in her life. She is also very slow to let people in, often pushing them away long before they reach her mental and emotional walls. Spends most of her spare time drawing and painting.

 **Background:** Born to the Aledria elf clan that hails from the south and under the rule of the God, Apollo, Ayame was orphaned at an early age when her village was burned to the ground and her parents executed before her eyes. The Aledria elf clan had a reputation of delving very deeply into the magical arts, often calling on dark magic. After managing to escape her burning village, Ayame wandered the forests until she happened upon her lifelong companion, a rare Orario Ghostfeather hawk named Meiryo. The hawk is an extremely rare breed with very few sightings and is known for it's high intelligence. Ayame soon developed a very deep bond with the bird and he in turn cared for her until the day they formed a magical bond. Ayame's magical power evolved rapidly during her travels with Meiryo but the hawk always guided her to never take the path of revenge and instead, to protect the weak from ever having to suffer from the things she did in her own childhood. At the age of 19, Ayame happened upon Orario where she hopes to grow strong enough to bring the bandits who wiped out her clan to justice.

 **Basic Abilities:**

\- Strength: H237  
\- Endurance: C634  
\- Dexterity: H287  
\- Agility: D527  
\- Magic: S986

 **Development Abilities:**

\- Sorcery: H  
\- Tailoring: G  
\- Arts: G

 **Spells:**

\- **Condensation** : Allows the user to create water using water vapour. Also allows the user to gather water from various sources.  
\- **Whirlwind** \- Allows the user to generate powerful gusts of wind. Can be focused to maintain a constant flow of wind.  
\- **Rainstorm** \- Allows the user to create rainstorms.  
\- **Thunder** **bolt-** Fires a large bolt of lightning at the target. Has a very high chance of stunning and paralyzing the target.

 **Skills:**

\- **Distress Barrier:** In a pinch, creates a shield out of wind energy that shields the user. The shield is powerful but does not last for a long time. Can be channeled onto another target but requires full attention and focus to do so.  
\- **Tempest:** While the user is maintaining a storm, successive casts while it is active will cause the storm to become more violent. The more casts that are done, the more violent the storm. Capable of causing hurricane level storms with enough casts.  
\- **Lifestream:** Allows the user to create a rainstorm with magical properties. Any ally touched by the water will be healed of all external injuries. If the water is imbibed, it will heal any internal injury, cure any poison or debilitating effects and also grant the imbiber increased stamina and Endurance for a short time. Does not affect any being that she does not consider an ally. Initially can only be triggered by extreme emotional duress but afterwards, can be accessed with concentration. **(Gains this skill during the timeskip upon reaching level 3)**

 **Weapons:**

\- Elven Staff

 **Equipment:**

\- Elven Robes  
\- Crimson Cloak

 **Relationships:**

 **\- Hestia:** Likes that Hestia is a lot more easygoing than Ares, her previous God. Appreciates her kindness and enthusiasm and often seeks wisdom from her. Ayame also teaches Hestia how to draw, forming a student-teacher relationship.  
 **\- Takashi Mashiro:** After Takashi saved her life in the dungeon and after having had to survive for a night stranded on the 17th floor with him, she grew to trust in him despite her usual inability to trust strangers. She treats Takashi with kindness and with her own version of warmth. She enjoys spending time with him, even if it's just in meditation. Has shown signs of developing feelings for him, though she prefers to keep them hidden knowing full well what it could do to him if she were to distract him on his life's mission. Considers him her closest friend and a very valuable ally.  
 **\- Hanna Lee:** Empathizes with Hanna's desire for revenge but tries to show her a different way just as Meiryo showed her before. She has a genuine interest in watching Hanna's magical powers develop and considers her a prodigy at being an adventurer despite being so young. Considers her a good friend.  
 **\- Amie Lee:** Growing up without siblings of her own, Ayame has grown to look at Amie as her own little sister. She often cares for Amie and always keeps her in mind when casting spells that can unintentionally harm the party. She enjoys spending time with Amie, especially since she is one of her favorite subjects to draw due to her innocent nature and youthful appearance.  
 **\- Akio Homura:** Initially did not trust him but eventually warmed up to him, especially after defeating the floor boss. She respects his intelligence as a leader and also his kindness as a friend. She does not like the fact that he believes that Takashi is above him, as she thinks Akio has his own merits that separate him and make him a unique individual. Considers him a good friend and a vital member of the familia.  
 **\- Mira Hitsuka:** Ayame does not like happy go lucky individuals but still finds it within her heart to tolerate Mira. She admire's Mira's kind heart but dislikes whenever Mira tries to spend time with her when she wants to be alone. She respects her combat prowess and considers her the strongest of the fighters in the familia.  
 **\- Vanna Stillwind:** Likes to watch her rivalry with Takashi and always encourages her to do her best in everything. Even though they are good friends, Ayame does not confide in her.  
 **\- Nana Ito:** Looks up to Nana as a maternal figure due to Nana possessing many qualities that her actual mother had. Always goes to her for advice, especially about emotions and personal matters. Trusts Nana the most with her secrets and considers her the closest thing to both a mother and a sister.  
 **\- Matilda Flynn:** Appreciates her silly disposition as well as her helpful nature but cannot understand her desire for sexual pleasure. Shows very slight signs of jealousy whenever Matilda gets too close to Takashi but still trusts her, especially since she saved them on the 17th floor.

 **Notes:**

\- Has a pet Orarian Ghostfeather hawk named Meiryo. Meiryo is an incredibly rare breed of hawk that has a very long lifespan.  
\- Can see cryptic images of the future, though only in her dreams.  
\- Volunteers in Nana's flower shop, usually as a cashier or caretaker.  
\- Ayame is a very talented artist and her favorite pastime is drawing scenery or people that she meets.  
\- Does not drink alcohol but is open to try when she is with the right crowd.

 **Changes Post Timeskip:**

\- Ayame focused on improving her skill in art and tailoring, causing both grades to go up one letter.  
\- Ayame has developed strong feelings for Takashi, especially after having many dreams about him but her inability to allow herself to be happy has put a mental block on those feelings. She also misses him the most out of any other character, even Hestia.  
\- Ayame's bond with Meiryo has evolved her the ability to speak to him telepathically, now allowing her to communicate with him at a much further range.  
\- Ayame has become the co-owner of Nana's flower shop.  
\- Ayame still blames herself for the death of Emadriel, causing her to feel guilty whenever she thinks of Takashi.  
\- Ayame acquired a grimoire from a hostile Adventurer while she was on the 19th floor. This taught her Thunderbolt.

 **~ o ~**

 **Name:** Mira Hitsuka  
 **Age:** 19  
 **Race:** Half Cat, Half Runarl  
 **Sex:** Female  
 **Familia:** Hestia

 **Level:** 3

 **Appearance:** Average body figure and average height. Athletic build with toned arms and legs but never truly reaching muscular levels. Light, velvet skin tone, long rose pink hair with soft curls, pale pink eyes. When not dressed in her armor, she wears a casual dress comprised of a ribbon choker on the neck with another ribbon that holds the white dress together. It is not form fitting but its flowy enough to show body figure. Has a modest bust size, though is not considered "busty".

 **Personality:** Friendly and warm-hearted. Has a happy go lucky disposition most times. Has a tendency to worry about comrades and friends, especially ones she grows close to. She can be very witty when faced with enemies, often thinking of the most clever ways to outsmart them. She is always itching for a fight, absolutely loving to put her scythe to use. In the heat of battle however, she would be more protective of friends, especially those that are weaker than her. Despite her thirst for a challenge, she can be a bit of a klutz at times, especially with menial tasks such as carrying a tray of drinks to a table or even running down stairs. Has hemophobia though only when the blood is in excess.

 **Background:** Born on the southern section of the continent, Mira trained from an early age by her father in the art of sorcery. It didn't take long for Mira to make a name for herself, quickly becoming a very sought after Supporter amongst most adventurers. However, tragedy would strike when she was attacked by a band of elf rogues outside Orario, which would start her along the path of destruction when she took her first life with her treasured scythe. After staining her hands with the blood of another, Mira dedicated her life to never slaying an innocent again. She left Orario for several years until she truly believed she could be strong without having to resort to killing others...and to control the darker side within. She ultimately wishes to one day find her mother, who she knows is still alive as well as investigate a rumor about having a half sister.

 **Basic Abilities:**

\- Strength: B734  
\- Endurance: H198  
\- Dexterity: F367  
\- Agility: C622  
\- Magic: A812

 **Development Abilities:**

\- Theurgy: H  
\- Sorcery: H  
\- Scythemanship: H

 **Spells:**

\- **Lightmend** : Heals for a decent amount and then heals more over time.  
\- **Purify** : Removes all debilitating effects on the target.  
\- **Darken** : Imbues the target with dark energy. If done to a weapon, causes the weapon to inflict a burst of shadow damage on the next attack. If done to an enemy, causes the target to be afflicted with dark energy and to suffer shadow damage.  
\- **Shadowbolt** : Fires a bolt of shadow energy at the target. Requires a very short chant and can be spammed. If it strikes a target under the influence of a debuff of any kind, does double damage.

 **Skills:**

\- **Innervation** \- Allows the user to recover their stamina rapidly, allowing more spellcasts. After the duration is over, the user will become exhausted and cannot cast spells until they recover fully from the fatigue.  
\- **Tainting Reap** \- Any target hit by this skill cannot regenerate or be healed for a limited time. The more hits landed on the target with this skill, the longer the period they cannot regenerate. Successive hits will do progressively more damage to a cap.  
\- **Fairy Cannon-** Whenever the user casts a spell, drastically increases its potency. For offensive magic, this effect is doubled.

 **Weapons:**

\- Heavily Customized Scythe

 **Equipment:**

\- Customized Light Armor

 **Relationships:**

 _-_ **Hestia:** Appreciates how much more easygoing Hestia is and loves to have fun with her. She considers Hestia her partner in crime, often scheming to do fun things with her like drink and dance. Everything else aside, she loves her goddess and is glad to have converted from Ares's familia, saying that it's too "serious" for her tastes.  
 _-_ **Takashi Mashiro:** Adores teasing and making fun of him but deeply respects his skills as a Ranger. She always takes his opinion into account and rarely ever oversteps her boundaries with him after discovering what his lifelong mission is. She is very supportive of him and whenever she isn't teasing him, she can be seen trying to cheer him up with hugs or making him food.  
 _-_ **Hanna Lee:** Greatly dislikes her negative outlook on life and generally doesn't get along that well with her. When the situation calls for it, she will risk her life for her just as anyone else in the familia. Otherwise, they interact very rarely.  
 ** _-_ Amie Lee: **Unlike Hanna, Mira adores Amie, considering her the "cutest thing ever". She always looks out for her and tries to cheer her up whenever she isn't feeling joyful. Considers her a baby sister.  
 **\- Ayame Aledria:** Deeply admires Ayame's mastery of magic and respects her intelligence and experience as an adventurer. She tries to get Ayame to come out of her shell but is often ignored. Still considers her a good friend.  
 **\- Akio Homura:** Looks to him for better guidance in tactics and combat experience. Despite him being younger than her, Mira believes that Akio is a great leader and is also the only one capable of leading the familia ahead. She enjoys spending time with him and tries to get him to stop being so shy at times.  
 **\- Vanna Stillwind:** Respects her skills as an archer and mastery over ice magic. She also appreciates that she can be serious but considers her a hardass on any other day. Nevertheless, considers her a valuable ally and tries her best to help her through anything she needs help with.  
 **\- Nana Ito:** Adores Nana's playful attitude due to it being much like her own. She also loves watching Nana dance and entertain others though tends to be shy whenever Nana tries to get her involved in the fun.  
 **\- Matilda Flynn:** Finds her misfortune and wardrobe malfunctions outright hilarious unless she is a victim of the clumsiness. She also likes the fact that Matilda is far more skilled at healing magic than she is, which lets her focus on fighting instead of healing. Considers Matilda a very valuable ally and a good friend.

 **Notes:**

\- Mira adores it when people pet her, and is particularly vulnerable to arousal when her ears are rubbed.  
\- Mira is a lightweight drinker.  
\- Despite her skill with a scythe, Mira does not consider herself the strongest fighter in the familia, believing that Vanna is the strongest.  
\- Mira dislikes healing others because of her energetic nature and love of fighting. She actually has no idea why she developed Lightmend in the first place.  
\- Mira works at Nana's flower shop as a delivery girl.

 **Changes Post Timeskip:**

\- Mira dedicated herself to getting better with her scythe, causing her to go up one skill grade in Scythemanship.  
\- Mira spent most of her time fighting in the dungeon and acquired a lot of drop items over the two years and keeps them as souvenirs.  
\- Mira became Ayame's "sister from another mother" and successfully managed to get Ayame to come out of her shell.  
\- Mira sparred with everyone during the timeskip and defeated all of them with the exception of Ayame, who defeated her with clever use of her spells.  
\- Mira grew very close to Nana, now calling her a sister.

 **~ o ~**

 **Name** : Akio Homura  
 **Familia** : Hestia  
 **Race** : Human  
 **Age** : 17  
 **Sex:** Male

 **Level:** 2 **(Becomes Level 3 during the timeskip)**

 **Appearance** : Tall (5' 11") and slender. Silver hair with very light skin. Usually seen in a standard tunic with trousers when not adventuring. Prefers the color blue.

 **Personality** : Bright and cheerful, very high in confidence and bravery. Refuses to give up fights unless allies would be in danger. Serious during battles, but very carefree when off duty. Likes to help wherever he can but refuses to do anything that would cause him to have to swallow his pride. Has a phobia of enclosed spaces.

 **Background:** A regular visitor in places all around Orario, Akio first came into contact with Hestia a mere month after Takashi joined as the first member of her familia. Akio came from a poor family in Orario and it wasn't long before he ventured out on his own, seeing nothing left for him in the city. He traveled to the east where he learned how to wield a blade as well as picking up on the art of leatherworking. The profession is something that he takes great pride in and is a hobby that he always tries to improve upon. After believing himself strong enough to join a familia, he happened upon Takashi on one of his hunting trips and then joined the familia after having a talk with Hestia herself. Akio's ultimate goal is to see Hestia's familia become the best of them all.

 **Basic Abilities:**

\- Strength: H295  
\- Dexterity: B713  
\- Endurance: H250  
\- Agility: B706  
\- Magic: F400

 **Development Abilities** :

\- Knifemanship: I  
\- Swordsmanship: I  
\- Leatherworker: H  
\- Throwing: I

 **Spells** :

\- **Clone** : Allows the caster to create clones of his/herself.  
\- **Magnetize** : Allows the user to push or pull metal objects with varying degrees of force.  
\- **Force Burst:** Causes the user to radiate a powerful pulse of kinetic energy from their hand or their body to blast objects away from them. **(Acquires this spell upon reaching level 3)**

 **Skills** :

\- **Indomitable:** The longer the user fights, the stronger their stats become to a cap. Also gives the user great balance and sturdiness while active.  
\- **Ninja:** Allows faster development of the Agility and Dexterity stats. Also gives both stats a maximum threshold of SSS instead of the standard S. Also naturally makes the user faster and more agile than the standard adventurer.  
\- **Warlord's Instinct:** Passively allows the user to process situations much more quickly. Also passively gives the entire party a slight boost to all stats.

 **Relationships:**

 _-_ **Hestia:** Dedicates his life to protecting and serving her, even more so than Takashi due to her adopting him from the streets. Calls her his mother.  
 _-_ **Takashi Mashiro:** Akio looks up to Takashi and fully trusts in his abilities, often not showing worry whenever Takashi ends up in a dire situation because he of all people knows what he's capable of. Akio considers Takashi his best friends and the two of them regular spend time together, whether its training or just going to the tavern to have a drink. Akio also holds the distinction of being one of two people who knows Takashi's full story.  
 _-_ **Hanna Lee:** Greatly dislikes her negative outlook on life and generally doesn't get along that well with her. When the situation calls for it, he will risk her life for her just as anyone else in the familia. Otherwise, they interact very rarely. He does appreciate her ability to follow orders, though he does get irritated when she questions him sometimes.  
 ** _-_ Amie Lee: **Unlike Hanna, Akio interacts a lot with Amie and makes it a point of duty to fashion his plans around her due to her frailty compared to everyone else in the familia. He views her like a baby sister and constantly looks out for her well being. He does not like that she follows her older sister's desire for revenge, but understand that she only does so because of her love for Hanna.  
 **\- Ayame Aledria:** Deeply admires Ayame's mastery of magic and respects her intelligence and experience as an adventurer. He sometimes tries to get Ayame to come out of her shell but is often ignored. Still considers her a good friend and is very indebted to her because she saved Takashi's life. He also supports the idea of Takashi and her becoming a couple, though he does not show it.  
 **\- Vanna Stillwind:** Respects her skills as an archer and mastery over ice magic. He also appreciates that she can be serious but considers her a hardass on any other day. Nevertheless, considers her a valuable ally and tries her best to help her through anything she needs help with. He also trusts her completely, after having spent years with her.  
 **\- Nana Ito:** Gets irritated at Nana's playful attitude, especially when she teases him or Takashi. He does however like watching Nana dance and entertain others though tends to be shy whenever Nana tries to get him involved in the fun. He goes to her for advice about women and looks at her like a big sister.  
 **\- Matilda Flynn:** Finds her misfortune and wardrobe malfunctions outright hilarious unless he is a victim of the clumsiness (which he often is). He also likes the fact that Matilda is very skilled at healing magic, which lets him craft plans much more easily. Considers Matilda a very valuable ally and a good friend...though her inability to understand the concept of modesty irritates him... **a lot.**

 **Notes:**

\- Akio is very shy around beautiful women, which irritates him all the more when Matilda has one of her "mishaps" around him.  
\- Akio will only drink on a good occasion.  
\- Akio is very skilled at analyzing anything he reads, often being called a "bookworm" by others, especially Matilda.

 **Changes Post Timeskip:**

\- Akio trained extensively in throwing weapons, causing him to develop the Throwing development ability upon reaching level 3.  
\- Akio has now become the de-facto leader of the familia, often making many decisions for them and also leading the dungeon runs.  
\- Is in a relationship with Relia Lapis. They share a room together in the family's new home.  
\- Has for the most part come out of his shell, though he still gets flustered whenever he is around beautiful women.  
\- Is much more confident, now fully believing in his ability to lead as well as to fight.

 **~ o ~**

 **Name** : Amie Lee  
 **Age** : 16  
 **Level** : 1 **(Becomes Level 2 during the timeskip)**  
 **Race** : Human  
 **Sex** : Female

 **Appearance** : Short blonde hair with dark pink eyes and a slender build. When not adventuring, she is usually seen in a pink dress.

 **Personality** : Bubbly and cute. Can get angry easily. When someone she loves gets hurt she will want revenge and nothing will stop her.

 **Background:** Born one year after her older sister Hanna, Amie always wanted to do her best to help her sister with whatever she desired to do. After her home was burned to the ground, she followed Hanna everywhere she went. Knowing full well that she was not as gifted as an adventurer as her older sister, Amie dedicated her life to helping Hanna throughout her adventures as her Supporter. She hopes that one day, she can help Hanna take revenge on the men who attempted to assassinate their entire family.

 **Basic Abilities** :

\- Strength: I62  
\- Endurance: I76  
\- Dexterity: I89  
\- Agility: E401  
\- Magic: B702

 **Development Abilities** :

\- Theurgy: I

 **Spells** :

\- **Fifth Reflect** : Reflect any offensive spell back at the caster with five times the potency. This can be self cast or cast over others.  
\- **Repulse:** Forms a reflective barrier that reverses kinetic force that strikes it. Anything that hits this barrier with a melee attack will receive the force threefold back at them.

 **Skills** :

\- **Artel Assist** : Allows the user to carry a tremendous amount of weight without slowing down.  
\- **Tireless** **:** Grants the user immunity to sleep effects and a drastic increase to overall stamina.

 **Weapons** :

\- None

 **Equipment** :

\- Tiger-Themed Onesie

 **Relationships:**

 **\- Hestia:** Loves her like a second mother and will do almost anything she asks of her.  
\- **Takashi Mashiro** : Considers him a role model. She often looks to Takashi for advice in making decisions though often times, Takashi always tries to show her that revenge isn't a path worth walking and that she should encourage her sister to see that light. Even though she disagrees with him, she admires his skills and appreciates his care for her.  
 **\- Hanna Lee:** Loves her older sister more than anything else in the world and will walk through hell itself if it meant she would be happy and safe. Always tries to support her in any possible way.  
 **\- Vanna Stillwind:** Considers her a good friend and a skilled adventurer. After having spent a lot of time fighting side by side with her, he has learned to trust her. She however doesn't like how much of a hardass Vanna can be at times.  
 **\- Nana Ito:** Views her like a older sister and is amused whenever she teases Akio or Takashi. Despite this, she cares deeply for her and always goes to her for comfort, viewing her as the closest thing to a mother she actually has.  
 **\- Ayame Aledria:** Trusts her fully after the ordeal they went through in the dungeon. Because she saved Takashi's life, she feels indebted to her due to Takashi being one of her closest friends. She also approves of the idea of Takashi and Ayame becoming a couple, especially after seeing how flustered Takashi gets whenever she is the topic of conversation.  
 **\- Mira Hitsuka:** Finds her clumsy nature amusing at times but fully respects her combat prowess. Believes she is the strongest fighter in the group and considers her a vital part of the familia.  
 **\- Matilda Flynn:** Despite considering her pretty and adoring her happy go lucky nature, she dislikes when she tries to make Takashi one of the main victims of her "mishaps" and often times, she tries to tell her just what she's doing wrong. She does however consider her vital due to her prowess with healing magic and considers her a good friend...albeit one that causes loads of trouble.

 **Notes:**

\- Works as a caretaker at Nana's flower shop.  
\- Amie is very peaceful, the perfect foil for her older sister.  
\- Amie enjoys reading.  
\- Amie's favorite pastime is grooming Meiryo and Fang, due to her love of animals.  
\- Amie is very good at singing.

 **Changes Post Timeskip:**

\- Amie decided to rely less on Hanna, especially since Hanna became a mercenary for hire which often carried her out of the city.  
\- She grew very close to everyone, and is now seen as the baby sister figure by most of the cast.  
\- Misses Takashi greatly.  
\- Developed Theurgy and also learned a new spell.  
\- Focused on becoming stronger, mainly in her Endurance and Magic and as such, those are now her highest stats.  
\- Learned how to use a whip, taught to her by Nana.

 **~ o ~**

 **Name** : Hanna Lee _  
_ **Familia** : Hestia _  
_ **Race** : Human _  
_ **Age** : 17

 **Appearance** : Long black to green ombre hair with green eyes. Short in stature (5' 5") and weighs 100 lbs. Has a decently athletic build but is by no means toned or large. Wears a black leather jacket over a green dress ending above the knees.

 **Personality** : Can be brutally honest, sarcastic and sassy. However is also caring and selfless to those she knows. Loves to cause mischief wherever she can and especially enjoys playing what she likes to call "evil cupid" where she tries to hook her friends up with the people she knows they like. She has an excellent eye for judgment, often able to tell everything about a person by merely observing them. She is extremely protective of her younger sister Amie and will do anything for her no matter how difficult the task may be. She has a phobia of spiders.

 **Background:** Born one year before her younger sister Amie, her father always believed her to be destined to become an adventurer. Even before she was able to hold a blade, he noted that she was a natural at reading magic arts as she was examining spellbooks and grimoires from an early age. After their home was burned to the ground, Hanna decided to put her training and knowledge to the test as she set out to fulfill her father's dream for her: to become the greatest adventurer in all of Orario. She also hopes to one day take revenge on the bandits that attempted to wipe out her family and to avenge her parents deaths.

 **Level** _:_ 3 _  
_

 **Basic Abilities:**

-Strength: F365  
-Endurance: G210  
-Dexterity: D534  
-Agility: B789  
-Magic: B717

 **Development Abilities:**

\- Knifemanship: G  
\- Blacksmith: I  
\- Throwing: I

 **Spells:**

\- **Conduction** : Allows the user to generate and conduct electricity through objects.  
\- **Light Speed** : When cast, causes the user to temporarily gain a drastic increase in speed.

 **Skills:**

\- **Soundless** : As long as the user wishes it, they will not make a sound when they move.  
\- **Ninja** : Allows for faster growth of the Dexterity and Agility skills. Also grants the user naturally increased agility and speed. Also allows for a maximum threshold of SSS in Dexterity and Agility as opposed to the usual S.

 **Weapons:**

-Regular daggers

 **Equipment:**

-Black leather armor

 **Relationships:**

 **\- Hestia:** Loves Hestia like a mother but dislikes her perverted tendencies. She also dislikes Hestia's tendency to try and show her revenge isn't a good path to walk.  
 **\- Amie Lee:** Loves her little sister and will do anything for her. Though she doesn't like how much Amie puts herself at risk for her sake, she slowly grows to trust in her abilities as she proves herself time and time again.  
 **\- Vanna Stillwind:** Considers her a great asset to the familia. She likes her rivalry with Takashi and often cheers her on to become the best ranger she can be. She however does not like Vanna's tendency to be a hardass at times.  
 **\- Nana Ito:** Begrudgingly views her like a mean older sister and gets very irritated at her constant teasing. She nevertheless goes to Nana for advice, especially concerning Amie's well being.  
 **\- Akio Homura:** Considers him a trustworthy ally and views him like a brother. She does not like his tendency to try to advise her, believing him to have no idea what pain feels like.  
 **\- Ayame Aledria:** Trusts her fully after the ordeal they went through in the dungeon when they first met, especially after she saved Takashi. She does not interact with Ayame much however, due to both of them preferring to stay alone.  
 **\- Mira Hitsuka:** Finds her clumsy nature amusing at times but fully respects her combat prowess.  
 **\- Matilda Flynn:** Finds her incredibly irritating at times but likes her positive attitude towards most things.

 **Notes:**

\- Despite her negative outlook on life, Hanna enjoys all of the luxuries, especially drinking and gambling.  
\- Though she isn't particularly close to anyone, she has grown to look up to Takashi as an older brother and treats him with more respect than the others.  
\- Hanna sharpens her daggers every day, even if they are fully sharpened.  
\- Hanna is claustrophobic.  
\- Hanna's blood type is B.

 **Changes Post Timeskip:**

\- Hanna trained extensively and picked up throwing weapons to compensate for her melee only style of fighting.  
\- Has for the most part warmed up to everyone, though she still is close to no one.  
\- Has become a mercenary, often traveling to other parts of the province and leaving Amie in the care of the others.

 **~ o ~**

 **Name:** Dina Alodias  
 **Age:** 23  
 **Sex:** Female  
 **Race:** Elf  
 **Familia:** Hestia **(Formerly Freya)**  
 **Level** : 2

 **Appearance:** Slim build, stands at 5' 8" and has a bust size of A and has curves where it counts. Has long silver hair, normally kept in a ponytail. Has deep brown eyes and a skin tone a few shades shy of light brown. Ordinarily seen in her robes when not adventuring but is known to change into a dancer's outfit when in the mood.

 **Personality:** Cheerful yet reserved. Dina normally keeps to herself but ordinarily has no problems being around others. She trusts people easily and is always up to have some fun where its possible. She however does spend most of her time alone, usually preferring not to be disturbed at all when she wants some alone time. She considers anyone in her familia an ally and is very affectionate to those she considers close. Dina however does have a cold streak and she does not forgive anyone who wrongs her easily (if at all).

 **Basic Abilities:**

\- Strength: H134  
\- Endurance: H198  
\- Dexterity: F367  
\- Agility: C622  
\- Magic: S912

 **Development Abilities:**

\- Sorcery: I  
\- Theurgy: H  
\- Dancing: H

 **Spells:**

\- **Barrier Of Light-** Shields the caster or target with a barrier of light. Once the shield breaks or fades, the target cannot be shielded again for a short time.  
 **\- Blinding Bolt-** Fires a bolt of light energy at the target. If the spell hits the target's eyes, it is blinded and disoriented for a short time.  
 **\- Magelight-** Conjures a ball of light that slowly floats through the air, illuminating a wide area. The ball can stick to any surface and can also be held as a lantern.  
 **\- Inner Radiance-** Causes the entire party to gain increased Endurance and coats their armor with light energy, increasing its effectiveness for a moderate duration.

 **Skills:**

 **\- Fairy Cannon-** Increases the effect of all magic cast by the user. The effect is doubled for offensive magic.  
 **\- Spirit Of Purity-** When in a pinch, drastically enhances the strength of all shields and buffs cast by the user. In addition, the entire party receives an increased healing from all sources.

 **Weapons:**

\- Elven Crescent Staff

 **Equipment:**

\- White Elven Mage Robes

 **Relationships: TO BE FILLED IN AFTER THE TIMESKIP.**

 **Background:** Born to a middle class Elf couple in Orario, Dina began her days as an adventurer at the young age of 10, under Freya's familia. She trained mostly with her mother, who was a level 5 adventurer known primarily for her mastery of light magic. Dina however had ambitions far beyond just following in her footsteps, instead wanting to become the best light mage in all of Orario. She went on regular trips to the dungeon with her parents and eventually became quite a competent mage, making her a very valuable supporter in the eyes of many.

However, Dina did not like Freya's rather sadistic approach to things and decided to leave to find her own path. At the age of 20, Dina traveled to Ares's militant nation to seek more knowledge. After spending three years there, Dina returned with a great deal more knowledge of the magical arts as well as combat which her skillset at the time wasn't particularly well suited for. Upon her return, she discovered that her parents retired as adventurers. Despite leaving against their wishes, they supported her decision to go to a different familia and decided to join Hestia's, her reasoning having mostly to do with the presence of Matilda Flynn, who was now a very well known cook as well as healer within Orario.

 **Notes:**

\- Dina loves dancing and considers it one of her main talents.  
\- Dina originally wanted to be a supporter but once she discovered her knack for magic, she decided to become an adventurer instead.  
\- Enjoys reading greatly.

 **~ o ~**

 **Name:** Scheide Argonar  
 **Sex:** Female **  
Age:** 23  
 **Race:** Half Human, Half War Tiger  
 **Familia:** Hestia **(Formerly Ares)**  
 **Level:** 3

 **Appearance** : Stands at 5' 9" and weights 150 lbs. Has an excellent figure due to her intense training and healthy eating habits and a bust size of 36C. At a glance, she appears cold and cruel, eyes are always desolate and dark even though they are pink. Her fashion is a mix of Victorian, lolita, and greatly emphasizes her tremendous sex appeal. She has snake bite piercings and an eyebrow piercing. Her eyeliner is winged and her lashes are long. Two of her teeth look vampire like, but not too long.

 **Personality** : Fun and outgoing, but has a dark past, but she always hides it very well. Perverted and adores having sex. Sadistic in nature. Can be yandere but is usually tsundere. Always has sexual humor. When she's angered, she tends to go on a rampage and won't hesitate to hurt anyone who gets in her way, even members of her own familia. She doesn't care about anyone in the true sense of the word but does respect and admire skill when she sees it. In fact, skill is one of her biggest turn ons.

 **Basic Abilities:**

\- Strength: A834  
\- Endurance: C698  
\- Dexterity: F267  
\- Agility: B785  
\- Magic: F212

 **Development Abilities:**

\- Axemanship: H  
\- Blacksmith: H  
\- Dual Wielding: I

 **Spells:**

\- **None**

 **Skills:**

 **\- Berserk:** When enraged, causes the user to receive a drastic increase to Strength. The angrier the user, the bigger the increase.  
 **\- Opportunist:** Causes the user to deal significantly more damage to any enemy that is debilitated, lower in level or disabled.  
 **\- Tiger's Fury:** When seriously injured, sends the user into a frenzy. While in this state, the user gains increased Strength, Agility and much greater reaction times. However, spending extended periods of time in this state will cause tremendous strain on the body. The user also loses the ability to tell friend from foe.

 **Weapons:**

\- Two One Handed Axes

 **Equipment:**

\- Chainmail Dress

 **Relationships:** TO BE ADDED LATER.

 **Background:** Born to a level 5 War Tiger father and a waitress, Scheide was given her Falna at the age of 7 by Ares himself. Training since that day and making regular trips to the dungeon, she grew into a fine warrior, a worthy successor to her father. However, with this skill came an insatiable bloodlust as she grew stronger. When she became level 3 at the age of 22, Scheide lost complete interest in following in her father's footsteps, opting instead to choose her own path. Scheide became a mercenary for hire, often taking on jobs as long as the pay was good and she developed a reputation amongst the shady crowds as one of the best, earning her the nickname " _The Spitting Cobra_ " due to her tendency of wearing snake related gear. This was also due to the brutal ways she slayed her enemies, often mutilating and dismembering them without remorse.

Scheide would bring her days as a mercenary to an end after a great tragedy. Upon returning to her parents to announce her desire to leave forever, her father attacked her in a drunken rage, severely injuring her which triggered her Tiger's Fury skill. In her crazed rampage, Scheide killed both of her parents as well as her baby sister. Stricken at what her rage had done, she burned her house to the ground and decided to move to Orario. By the time she turned 23, she had no interest in remaining with Ares's familia, calling it "too much of the same thing" and she was tired of fighting for an unworthy cause. After spending several months in Orario, mostly bored with its people, she happened upon Hestia, who she knew was the one who had Takashi Mashiro as one of her familia. Interested in working with him and to see if someone could finally give her a good challenge, Scheide converts to Hestia's familia, awaiting Takashi's return.

 **Notes:**

\- She is a nymphomaniac and absolutely adores being a sadist during the act.  
\- Enjoys drinking.  
\- Though it takes a lot, she is actually capable of having an attachment to someone, though it requires loads of proving his/herself worthy.  
\- Though not inherently evil, she tends to be quite mean to others for no reason other than "because that's who she is".  
\- Scheide is bisexual.

 **~ o ~**

 **Name:** Matilda "Mattie" Flynn  
 **Sex:** Female  
 **Age:** 25  
 **Race:** Cat Person  
 **Familia:** Hestia **(Formerly Apollo)  
** **Level:** 3

 **Appearance:** Matilda stands at 5' 3" and weighs 108 pounds. She has long, chocolate hair that is naturally straight, soft, and thick, reaching down to her mid-back and switches hairstyles according to her mood. Her eyes are a blue-gray color with cat-like pupils and wears round, frameless spectacles over them, and refuses to take them off unless sleeping or bathing. Her skin is quite pale, with brown-furred cat ears and a matching brown-furred cat tail.

Matilda is extremely curvy, putting her in leagues even above goddesses like Demeter and Ishtar. Her measurements clock in at B 97 / W 58 / H 89 (B 38 / W 23 / H 35 ) with F-cup breasts, larger than even Demeter and Ishtar. Quite the opposite of what you'd expect from a streamlined and graceful cat. In fact, she's hardly graceful at all. In addition to a large rear, wide hips, and huge breasts, she also has rather plump thighs.

 **Personality:** Matilda is a girl who, at first glance, seems like a total ditz. Seemingly oblivious to social norms, her own modesty, and personal space, extremely forgetful, and a huge klutz. Clumsy, she would trip on air, and her wipe-outs often lead to her damaging or outright destroying her clothing, sometimes ending up completely naked except her spectacles after a spill. She tends to ask inappropriate questions and invade personal spaces, touching people on the shoulders, arms, back, wrist, chest, groin, or elsewhere regardless of their dislike of being touched. She speaks freely of personal problems like her estrous cycle or calling her bathroom breaks, and also often goes on rants, tangents, and heavy expositions at the drop of a hat. She often strips naked with seemingly no regard for who is watching or how it makes them feel, with any attempts to explain bodily modesty being lost on her as a concept she says doesn't make sense.

Matilda tends to be overly emotional. While she is almost always smiling, she can and will break out into tears should it strike her. She often is very hard on herself, blaming herself for things that are not her fault and tending to ignore her positive qualities. If she takes a gamble and it fails, she can be devastated for days, but often tries to hide her inner worries. Casual, but polite, she has a habit of overusing please, thank you, you're welcome, sorry, and excuse me. Matilda is often too trusting of people who seem nice, and also seems incapable of holding a grudge, taking forgive and forget to an extreme. While usually quite polite, she has no qualms using profanity.

Despite all this, Matilda is surprisingly patient, open-minded, and accepting of all. If she sees someone in trouble, though, rather than stepping in to save them, she will offer herself to the attacker as a substitute. She feels that, you can hit her, spit on her, yell at and insult her, she doesn't mind. Better her than someone who doesn't deserve it or can't take it. She'll always just forgive whoever lashed out at her, and if all else fails, there's always a nice, bosomy cooldown hug. Possessing an unbreakable will, she won't ever give up, especially if it's on someone else, even if others have deemed them a lost cause. Matilda feels that no matter how far gone someone is, everyone deserves a second chance. There's always opportunity to change, and there is good in everyone that can make it happen. If someone thinks they are alone, she's quick to tell them they're not, because she's there. In their darkest hour, she wants to be the light that guides them home.

Wherever Matilda goes, people oddly seem to like her. Strangers she meets feel themselves looking at her bright smile and cheerful personality and can't help feeling like there's still hope for the people of the world to laugh, smile, love, trust, and hope. People often tell Matilda "he's normally not that nice around people," which baffles her. She seems oddly capable of bringing out the best in anyone and brightening the room with her presence.

Matilda is, and openly admits that, she's drawn to people who look lonely. Gentle, energetic, and patient with people, she will interact with them whether they want her to or not, believing no one should ever be alone, not even to think things through. To her, saying "I need to be alone right now" is a completely alien concept and totally unreasonable request. Despite her bright smile, Matilda gets lonely very easily herself, and so can't imagine why anyone would actually prefer solitude.

Matilda shows an odd child-like nature about the world. She sees beauty and wonder where others only see a perfectly unremarkable sight. Where others have lost hope for the future and feel they can no longer love, trust, or be loved or trusted, Matilda still smiles despite what she's been through, herself. She remains positive and ever optimistic. She is not, though, stupid. Matilda herself says that she knows the world is a bad place. But to her, it's a world half-full. The world has bad things, yes, but it has just as many, if not more, good things.

Next, Matilda's view of sex. It's an odd one. She is quick to offer the chance to touch her breasts to people she considers friends if they seem depressed or in a bad mood, and even seems disappointed if they refuse. Still a virgin, she really has no reasons to do so besides wanting others to be happy and wanting to live her life to the fullest (and, admittedly, she does go through heat for three days every month). Though she is proud of her body and likes to show it off, she will never use her figure or buxom bosom against men. She still has feminine pride, after all. Though she very much enjoys being naked, regardless of whether the people around her are naked with her or fully clothed, and actually finds any clothing except spectacles to be highly uncomfortable and restricting, she won't go naked in public intentionally. She will, however, strip naked in public if she has a reason for it (any reason, really) or is against her will. In particular, being a huge klutz, she is quite prone to losing most or all of her clothes while tripping or wiping out.

Furthermore, Matilda is quite the tease. She seems largely oblivious to just the effect she has on guys with her affectionate nature. She is prone to grabbing guys' crotches for reasons that range from getting them to follow her somewhere to checking if they have wood, and is also not above tracing her finger over a guy's chest or the groin seam of his pants teasingly. With her smile and tendency for her barely-covered (if at all) breasts to rub up against guys when she gets into their bubble, and her tendency to wear little to no clothing, Matilda is often the cause for many cold showers, something she doesn't seem to be aware of. She's not a loose woman or easy, just... far too innocent and naive for her own good.

She is, however, a romantic. While not actively seeking out a boyfriend, Matilda is a bit of a love freak, though believes in all kinds of love, like friendship, family, romantic, and unconditional. She is, for one, not at all against male-on-female perversion. Being hit on or flirted with makes her feel sexy, and she finds it quite flattering. Any guy who would accidentally fall into her breasts only gets a smile and a motherly hug, and any who might walk in on her while changing are greeted cheerfully like it's nothing out of the ordinary, and any surprise walk-ins while she's bathing instead just get a (completely serious) offer for them to join her. People she is close to tend to get her most affectionate side, like hugging their arm while walking beside them, and hopping into their lap to sit or sleep. She loves cooking and often cooks for the Hestia Familia, doing so in an apron, spectacles,and nothing else, not even getting dressed again (or taking off the apron, for that matter) for the resulting meal.

Matilda has a number of phobias. These include skeletons, spiders, tornadoes, being alone, her biological father, boats over water, bridges over water, open water, and water deep enough to drown in (she can't swim). Though a heavy insomniac who can only sleep every three nights, she can sleep normally if sharing a bed with someone, but tends to spoon them in her sleep, either pressing herself against their back and draping her hand down to their chest or groin, or pressing her back against them and subconsciously moving their hand to place it on her breast in her sleep. Sleeping on your back will not save you from her softness, either, as she will just press herself up against your side with your arm between her breasts. If whoever is sharing her bed with her attempts to get up and leave in the middle of the night, she will grab their arm in her sleep and beg them to stay with a very distraught "Please don't leave me!" It is evident she has some mild abandonment issues.

Matilda actually believes love is a weakness. But she believes it in a completely positive way. We don't say "rising into love," and to Matilda, there's a very good reason for that. There's in it the idea of the fall. And it goes back to very basic concepts. There's always a curious tie between the fall… and the creation. Taking a ghastly risk is the condition of there being life. To Matilda, all life is an act of faith, and an act of gamble. The moment you take a step, you do so on an act of faith, because you really don't know that the floor's not going to give out under your feet. The moment you take a journey, that's an act of faith. The moment you open up to another person in a relationship, that's an act of faith. You've given yourself up. But to Matilda, this is the most powerful thing that can be done. Surrender. And to her, love is an act of surrender to another person. "Take me. Do anything you like with me." While Matilda secretly doesn't believe she deserves love, or anyone could truly love her, she tends to symbolize this belief by taking someone's hand and placing it on her breast for them. This is the mark of her having fallen for someone. She won't ask her usual "Wanna touch my boobs?" when she feels they need cheering up. She just places his hand there, herself.

And last but not least, Matilda is a full-blooded Cat Person. She has several feline urges she can't control, and is more open about them than most Cat People. Her ears and tail are extremely sensitive erogenous zones, with even a simple touch causing her to moan in pleasure. Due to her hypersensitive sense of touch, her ears and tail are even more sensitive than most Cat People. She is irresistibly drawn to chasing small, scurrying things like mice, dangling string, light beams, and often stares at birds while letting out a chittering feline noise, entranced. Catnip gets her extremely high and overly playful, and admittedly, while she does love bathing and dancing around during a nice rain shower, she hates being wet and doesn't know how to swim. She does admit that she prefers meat, fish, and poultry products over more herbivorous meals, and also absolutely adores milk and other dairy products, but her taste in food is quite broad (and she's quite the big eater). Like all cats, she is a cuddle bug, and is often one to hug, glomp, cuddle, and especially sit in the laps of people she likes, regardless of her breasts getting in the way. Unlike most cats, however, she is quite clumsy, and also has extreme insomnia. She can only sleep normally every three nights unless she shares a bed with someone, which isn't easy since she's quite the cuddle bug in her (naked) sleep.

Though like a playful kitten in personality, Matilda is still an adult cat in body. She even goes through an estrous cycle instead of a menstrual cycle. For three days every month, Matilda gets extremely... aroused. Let's leave it at that.

 **Background** : Matilda was born to Maria Flynn and Ryan Flynn, two Cat People living in Daedalus Street, the wide residential area for the poor class in Orario. They had four children. Ken Flynn was the eldest brother. A year later, Matilda and Max Flynn were born as twins. Three years later, Tiffany Flynn was born as the second daughter.

Ryan Flynn was a retired Level-6 Adventurer, specializing in magic as a wizard, and refused to do any real work besides crafting Magic Items with his high Mystery Development Ability. Mrs. Flynn, on the other hand, had to work three separate jobs. Aside from crafting Matilda her frying pan and spectacles, he never really did anything nice for her. All three "kittens" were subjected to various forms of abuse. Tiffany got lucky with just verbal and emotional abuse. Max and Ken got that, plus physical abuse. Matilda got all that, plus sexual abuse. From age 4 to age 10, Ryan Flynn would anally rape Matilda whenever their mother wasn't home. He only stopped because, when Matilda was ten years old, Maria Flynn divorced him, and instead married a respectable War Tiger from the Guild.

Moving out with all four children and leaving Ryan to a much nicer neighborhood that a well-payed member of the Guild could easily afford, Matilda adored her new stepfather, Rob. Though at first he insisted the children not call him "Dad" because he didn't want to replace Ryan, after accidentally calling him such just twice, Rob sat down with Matilda and said he really didn't mind her calling him such, since no matter how he looked at it, she was his daughter. Much cuddling followed.

It was at the age of 22, with her mother having kept her children at home quite a while aside from school and some part-time jobs because she was very protective of them after leaving their birth father, Matilda decided she no longer wanted to work in a general store, but rather, become an Adventurer herself. Supportive of his step-daughter, Rob happily used his Guild connections to craft her a wooden pole from some wood from a Treant for her weapon. Roughly three years as an Adventurer and Matilda is Level 2 and specializing in general white magic. When few Familia would take her in given how... curvy... she was for a Cat Person, the oppai loli goddess of family, hearths, and architecture happily took her in, and she's been with the Hestia Familia ever since.

She still visits her three siblings, mother, and stepfather every few days to check in on them. Her skill in domestic chores like cooking and cleaning are largely because, before she was old enough to work, all four of the Flynn children helped out around the house because their mother was too busy with work to cook or clean and their father was too lazy to cook or clean.

Though she often hides it, she's still quite traumatized by the treatment her birth father gave her, and gets lonely very easily. She may be smiling nearly all the time, and it is a genuine smile, but it is still a broken and empty smile. Matilda smiles even when she's sad or depressed, and even hides any inner worries, just so people won't worry about her. Though she hides her worries with a smile very well, she is ironically an extremely bad liar. She may be quick to cheer others up and try to get them to have fun, but Matilda herself is very lonely and struggles to maintain her constant positive attitude at times. Though her sleep cycle of only sleeping every three nights has naturally given her heavy bags under her eyes, she hides them with make up, and whenever her monthly heat reaches its peak, she hides herself away until it passes so she doesn't force herself on anyone. She also finds her blue-gray, cat-like eyes ugly, which is why she rarely takes her corrective lenses off in front of others.

 **Basic Abilities:**

\- Strength: G212  
\- Dexterity: C626  
\- Endurance: I74  
\- Agility: S999  
\- Magic: A843

 **Development Abilities:**  
\- Cooking: I  
\- Theurgy: I  
\- Abnormal Resistance: I

 **Spells:**

\- **Nurturing Care** : A mid-level healing spell that heals light to critical wounds. Requires close proximity, if not physical contact, but can work on more than one person so long as those people are in physical contact or close proximity at the time of casting. Does not work on the caster.  
 _Chant: "In your darkest hour, the light of another will be your beacon! When you feel you are lost, the advice of a loved one will guide you home! Nurturing Care!"_

\- **Purifying Purge:** A high-level curing spell that purges any abnormalities from the body, like poison and other negative effects. Can be cast at a maximum distance of two meters, but is purely single target only and cannot be cast on the caster.  
 _Chant: "Let flesh be purified, and all inner demons be banished from this lowly vessel! Sterilizing flame, cleansing water, banishing wind, nurturing earth, illuminating light, calming darkness! Purifying Purge!"_

\- **Hope Bringer** : A multi-purpose and high-level Buff. While the buff is not extreme, it is very versatile. The spell can be cast on as many targets as the caster wishes at a time, and boosts whatever Basic or Development Abilities that target desperately needs boosted at that time, making it highly adaptable.  
 _Chant: "As the dove takes off into the sky! As the rooster crows to signal the new dawn! As a rainbow arcs after the storm! As tomorrow always comes! Fill the destitute with belief in change! Hope Bringer!"_

\- **Righteous Fury** : A mid-level defensive barrier spell, Righteous Fury is a general-purpose and highly versatile barrier. Depending on how the chant is done, the barrier can change shape and effect, and can be placed in various positions depending on where the caster directs it toward at the time of chant, meaning it can even function as a step when needed. It is mid-level, however, so it cannot stand against attacks too powerful, but depending on the chant, can block and even reflect either physical or magical attacks. It is, however, a spell that can only be cast directly in front of or near the caster, so if the user wants to defend someone else, they must position themselves accordingly.  
 _Chant: "As one gets up when another falls! As one's knuckles go white at the unfair treatment of another! As one charges in to fight on the behalf of a friend! Not all anger is unhealthy! Rage, take [shape]! Temper, stand [strong physical attacks; resolute magic attacks]! [Optional for reflecting: Avenge thy loved one!] Righteous Fury!"_

 **Skills:  
**  
\- **Insomnia** : Passively makes the user immune to falling asleep in battle via spells.  
\- **Thick Fat** : A Passive Skill, Thick Fat halves the damage from spells of the fire and ice elements. The reason Matilda acquired it is pretty obvious.  
\- **Endure** : One says happy thoughts can speed up recovering. An Active Trigger Skill, Endure uses purely the power of positive thinking to dull the user's pain, stop bleeding, and keep wounds temporarily closed. However, once the battle is over and adrenaline wears off, the user will crash, and hard. It can get stronger depending on how potent the happy memories the user can think of are.

 **Weapons:**

\- Matilda wields a plain, non-descript, long, smooth wooden pole as long as she is. Useful as a walking stick, but she also uses it as a magic staff and, in a pinch, a quarterstaff. Carved from the Drop Item wood of a Treant, the pole, dubbed "Wishing Pole," is light as a feather, as hard as iron, but can't be burned by fire or rot from water, and is extremely tough and hard to break for wood, but doesn't hit very hard.

 **Equipment:**

 **Armor** : Matilda, in the Dungeon, often wears whatever she can afford, but due to a hypersensitive sense of touch, prefers to wear tight clothing that shows a lot of skin. Specifically, Matilda very much enjoys exposing as much cleavage as possible, showing her legs, and baring her midriff. She will typically wear little more than a leather strap or belt-like object, or even bandages as sarashi in a pinch, as a band across her breasts (jiggling be damned), some bikini-like leather bottoms with a thong for the back occasionally traded for a micro-skirt like garment (nothing underneath it, naturally) and prefers going barefoot, rarely wearing anything more. Though she may cover herself with a long mantle when necessary, she is quick to shed even these few articles of clothing whenever she can, and often ends up getting them damaged or even destroyed in the Dungeon. She could splurge for something sturdier, but with her funds and limited available wardrobe given her hypersensitivity and figure, she'd just prefer buying replacement gear after each instance of clothing damage.

 **Relationships:** Matilda is very friendly, open toward, touchy-feely, and affectionate with everyone. She really doesn't seem to care who sees her naked or how sensitive they are about being touched or getting their personal space invaded, and is just as willing to invite any of them into the bath or bed with her or the chance to touch her breasts as any of the others (almost).

\- **Hestia** : Matilda calls Hestia "Aunty Hesty" and largely views her as a maternal figure. Being much shorter than Matilda, "Aunty Hesty" is prone to being picked up and hugged between the Cat Person cleric's bountiful bosom.  
\- **Takashi Mashiro** : Matilda is very fond of Takashi, often quick to heal him, cook him a meal, or draw him a bath (with her) after a return from hunting outside the city whether he needs it or not. Out of all the people she offers to touch her boobs, join her in the bath, sleep in her bed with her, touches the crotch, chest, back, or arms of, climbs into the lap of, or simply hugs, glomps, or cuddles, Takashi is often her most common victim. He very often gets an arm, face, back, or chest full of bosom regardless of his protests. She even calls him "Takkun," a portmanteau of "Takashi" and the honorific "-kun." She often wonders why he appears to be immune to her offers, whereas other men would get flustered or have a nosebleed.  
\- **Nanna Ito** : Matilda is a bit more playful with Nanna than others due to the gypsy being half Cat Person. She's generally oblivious to Nanna's flirting, thinking she's just being playful, and is similarly obvious to her nosiness, being a bit too open to any of the gypsy's questions. She often tries to urge Nanna to open up more and calls her "Nan-chan" since she felt "Nanny" sounded like a grandmother or babysitter.  
\- **Vanna Stillwind** : Matilda often wishes, and tells Vanna, that she should trust her more, being a healer and all. She goes out of her way to be extra friendly to Vanna, despite this being the behavior that makes her most distrustful. Matilda naively believes that if you make it clear you like people, they won't be able to resist liking you back. As per her nicknaming habit, she calls her "Snowbell" or just "Snowy." Better than "Ice Queen," at least.  
\- **Ayame Aledria** : As "wanting to be alone" is a completely alien concept to Matilda, she doesn't understand why Ayame is such a loner, and wishes she wasn't so shy and quiet. She often tries to get her to have fun and spend time with the rest of the Familia. She's nicknamed Ayame "Whitey" for her white hair, white eyes, and tendency to wear white.  
\- **Mira Hitsuka** : Matilda gets along well with Mira given their Cat Person heritage, somewhat similar personalities, and the way they're both clumsy (though unlike Matilda, Mira is never rendered naked from her clumsiness and bad luck). She calls her "Pinky" for her pink hair and eyes.  
\- **Akio Homura** : Matilda often asks Akio to make leather battle gear to replace her frequently destroyed versions, but insists on paying him. She has no qualms upon changing into it right in front of him with him watching, and like most people, is quick to offer him gropage as thanks or if she thinks he might be feeling down. She does it to him more often than others, but not as much as Takashi. She loves how fun and carefree he is, but thinks his pride is a bit unhealthy. His nickname? Blueballs for his preference for blue. Go figure.  
\- **Amie Lee** : Matilda absolutely adores Amie. She treats her like a baby sister and is often one to hug her tightly to her enormous bosom, glomp her, fuss over her well being, etc. She tends to either call her "Bubbles" or "Taiga" for her personality and tiger onesie.  
\- **Hanna Lee** : Matilda likes Hanna because her brutal honesty, sassiness, and sarcasm reminds her of her mother and younger sister (who inherited it from their mother). Despite being much younger than her (though taller), Matilda views Hanna as an older sister. She does, however, worry about Hanna's obsession with revenge. She believes revenge is only a path to destruction and that it is always better to simply let go of your anger and grudges. Obligatory nickname? Sassafrass.

 **Notes** :

\- Matilda is heteromantic pansexual.  
\- Matilda has a maternal grandfather, Ike the Berserker, who is a Level 6 Adventurer on a quest outside of Orario right now. He's rumored to be absolutely unstoppable with an axe.  
\- Matilda has surprisingly good rhythmic skills, and though clumsy, is a surprisingly good (though jiggly) dancer.  
\- Despite being 25, Matilda looks quite young for her age, about 18.  
\- Despite seeming ditzy, Matilda is simply very forgetful. She actually has a gifted-level IQ, but is a right-brainer more suited to art, literature, music, abstract and non-linear thinking, and the creative and emotional aspects of intelligence, rather than language, logic, numbers, critical thinking, and reasoning.  
\- Matilda inherited chronic nosebleeds from her mother and maternal grandfather. She gets nosebleeds extremely easily, even from a bad tap or cold and dry weather.  
\- Besides the aforementioned touch and taste, Matilda's hearing and smell are also hypersensitive. She's especially sensitive to whistles, rave-like environments, and too many exotic smells in one place.  
\- Matilda prefers not to drink for a simple reason: She's a lightweight, and even just one drink gets her wasted. When it comes to what kind of drunk Matilda is, she's "the stripper."  
\- Matilda's favorite foods are fried rice, baked potato soup, pasta of any kind, medium-rare steak, grilled fish, roasted chicken, and most kinds of meat in general, actually. She hates drinking pure water, but she can never get enough milk and also enjoys apple juice and hot cocoa. When it comes to sweets, she generally dislikes cakes, but adores nearly everything else, especially ice cream and cookies. She has an odd dislike of foods that are solid with filling in them and sauces. Her absolute favorite flavor in the world, however, is cinnamon sugar, and she likes it better than even chocolate.

 **Changes Post Timeskip:**

\- Trained extensively in healing magic, upping her Theurgy one grade.  
\- Became the main cook for the entire familia, replacing Vanna.  
\- Volunteers at the Hostess Of Fertility as the cook on days when needed.  
\- Misses Takashi greatly and worries about Ayame's mental stability; she is fully aware of the story of her father and his family.

 **~ o ~**

 **Created By: _Justicez_  
Name**: Amaya Megumi  
 **Sex** : Female  
 **Age** : 22  
 **Race** : Runarl  
 **Familia** : Hestia(Formerly Apollo)

 **Level** : 3

 **Basic Abilities** :

Strength:  
Dexterity:  
Endurance:  
Agility:  
Magic:

 **Development Abilities** :

Tailoring : H  
Cooking : H  
Dual-Wielding- I

 **Spells** :

\- **Yin Yang Imbue** – Chanted spell. Imbues the caster's weapons with condensed shadow and light energy(one on each weapon), granting a boost in weapon strength and durability. The shadow energy can also be released as a long ranged attack, but thereby ending the effect. Spell is draining at initial usage.

 _Chant: "May the light and darkness, two forces in perfect harmony, the Yin and the Yang, surround these weapons and strengthen them. Grant them the power to smite and protect those around me. Yin Yang Blades!"_

\- **War Cry** – Chanted spell. Lets loose a loud shout on the battlefield, increasing allies' Morale and Attack Power and attracting the attention of nearby monsters, causing them to attack the user instead. The more desperate the battle, the better the effect on allies.

 _Chant: "As the earth sustains life even through even the harshest of disasters and conflicts, may this shout bring hope to my allies and cause all enemies to look upon me as a symbol to be crushed! WAR CRY!"_

 **Skills** :

 **Maternal Instincts** : A passive skill that gives the user an increased understanding of people in more difficult moods and gives them a better success rate at calming them down. People around the user will feel much calmer and secure as well. User will be better at traditional household pursuits such as tailoring, gardening and so on.

 **Rock in the Ocean** : As the rock on the coast stands strong even as ocean's batter it, if the caster is the focus of more than two enemies, a passive boost will be given to the user. The skill increases proportionally based on the number of enemies up to a maximum of 1 rank in endurance(5 opponents)

 **Bushido** : Grants the user the drastically augmented endurance and surety of the Onna Bugeisha in protecting their family, friends and honour, giving a greater threshold to the endurance and dexterity stats up to a maximum of SS.

 **Weapons** :

\- Katana  
\- Wakizashi  
\- Pair of bladed war fans

 **Equipment** :

\- Light red Domaru armour on her torso (a lighter, less heavy version of the O-yoroi armour that most Samurai wear), forgoing the Head armour as she doesn't like how stuffy it is and is uncomfortable on her ears

 **Appearance** : About 5'9, 140 pounds. Fair skinned with long raven black hair, which is normally tied up into a bun when out on explorations and left down during leisure, normally with a large red ribbon behind her head, although colour does change based on her mood.

Physique is reasonably toned with defined muscles in her arms due to her weapon choice. Normally wears a Midnight blue Short Yukata which comes down to about mid-thigh which exposes a moderate amount of her bust(C cup) during leisure times, but will wear a more formal long red Yukata for more official functions or when the weather is a bit cooler. She tends to tailor her own clothes, however, as she only knows how to make traditional garb like Kimonos and Yukatas, she seeks others out when desiring something different.

 **Personality** : A kind and helpful person with a calm aura around her, An avid reader in her spare time and is fairly knowledgeable about the world around her. Generally thought of to be like a reliable and kind older sister/motherly figure to most, and tends to worry over her friends and family around her. Is a mediator between disputes to those around her and most trust her judgement. However has times when she appears to be a bit more distant, especially when reminded about her parents. Has a soft spot for children.

 **Background** : Born an only child in a traditional Runarl village in the southern part of the continent, Amaya came from a happy, if slightly traditional background. She was trained by her father in the family art of the sword, primarily the katana and wakizashi, by contrast, her mother taught her more traditional skills like tailoring, cooking and etiquette which she enjoyed greatly as she loved spending time with her parents. This upbringing also tempered her, making her a calm and dependable individual who enjoyed spending time with family and friends. She frequently helped around her village with taking care of the younger kids.

Growing up, Amaya was happy and contented, having loving parents and friendly faces around, however, that all changed one day when she was 16. Her parents, while out on a visit to a nearby village, went missing. She and the rest of the village searched for many nights until finally, they found her parents corpses close together in the middle of a bloodied field where many other corpses laid. It appeared that her parents were involved in a fight and although had killed their attackers, had been mortally wounded, it was of some solace to Amaya that they died as they held each other.

Her once warm home which housed many memories with her and her family suddenly seemed cold and the memories brought nothing but pain as she pined for her parents. A few months after their demise, and with the urging of those around her, Amaya locked up her family home and left the village, seeking out her next step in life.

 **Relationships** :

 **Hestia** : Looks up to the Goddess of the Familia, thinks of her almost as a shorter, slightly childish older sister whom she greatly adores.  
 **Takashi** : Gets along well with the quiet elf. Enjoys being in his company, having similar temperaments and ages. Has some minor feelings for the elf that could blossom in time to come, however his distance from most others apart from Hestia makes it a little hard to get close to him.  
 **Loki** : Fairly neutral in her dealing with the goddess, although gets quite annoyed when Loki tries to flirt with her and trying to grab at her.  
 **Nana** : Gets along with Nana and can put up with her moods, though draws the line when she becomes a little too grabby.  
 **Hanna and Amie Lee** : Amaya treats the two sisters as she though they were her own sisters, and although Hanna's personality makes her come off as seeming a bit rude to Amaya, she takes it in her stride, knowing that Hanna doesn't (always) mean ill by her actions.  
 **Zekko** : She is on fairly good terms with Zekko. Appreciates his concern for those around him and tries to help him when he has something troubling him.  
 **Matilda** : Amaya's relationship with Matilda is complicated. Amaya knows that Matilda is a kind soul, but her complete lack of modesty does throw her for a loop. Being raised in a traditional background, Amaya struggles to figure out how to get along with the happy go lucky girl.

 **Notes** :

\- Visits the orphanage in the city once a week  
\- Coming from a traditional background, Amaya is proficient in traditional dances and playing the lute.  
\- Doesn't consume alcohol as she has never really acquired a taste for it.  
\- Amaya was born in the spring season.  
\- Her favourite foods are most rice-based dishes and sushi. She detests anything spicy as she never really built up a tolerance to it. Drinks wise, she enjoys green tea.  
\- Inheriting a fair fortune from her parents, she is not left wanting for many things except a good book and good food. However, she still takes up a part time job at the Benevolent Mistress to fill her time. She also sometimes volunteers at the Kaneshon.  
\- Aiko, a small red fox whom Amaya rescued while on her travels after leaving the village. Normally can be found at Amaya's side, though when lazy, she drapes herself around Amaya's neck like a scarf. Capable of relaying messages to others.

* * *

 **SPECIAL NOTE:**

 **The story is approaching a two year timeskip and all the characters listed above are the ones who have been chosen to be introduced before that timeskip. Bear in mind that this timeskip is important to the plot because it will allow the rest of the cast to be introduced, meaning the anime cast.**

 **Yes, Bell and everyone will be a part of this as well.**

 **For those of you who have not appeared here, now is your chance to give your character another run through to ensure everything's all set. It also gives you a chance to properly fill out the relationships section as now, there are more characters in the main lineup and you've probably gotten an acceptable amount of information from the content so far to make an accurate judgement of how they are.**

 **Go ahead and give your characters another run through and ensure it's all set up for the story. If you have any questions, Cyberweasel89 and I are here and ready to respond via PMs. Please do us both a favor and read the guidelines carefully; at this point, especially since the submission guidelines are this long and detailed, we expect that certain things are understood fully. We don't want to see completely fundamental things wrong, such as people with guns or a race we have not listed here.**

 ** _PLEASE_ , ask questions if you are not sure. We EMBRACE the interest.**


	2. Prologue: Welcome To Orario

**(A/N): Gonna get right into this one with a little prologue. It's just to give you guys a little something to think about while you come up with your characters. I have a decently sized cast as it is right now but I won't jump too far ahead until the entire cast has been assembled. This is mostly to get some story content down before a special point in which I've planned something special.  
**

 **Hope you guys are digging the idea and rest assured, this idea is definitely in the works. I guess this prologue is also meant to give all you creative minds out there a little push and remember that I totally welcome anyone to participate.**

 **Without further ado, let's hop in.**

* * *

 **EDIT: Did a slight alteration of time; complete mistake on my part because I forgot to change the entire story plan to suit the timeframe I discussed with my co-writer. This is probably a sign that I need to not rush my content and release it.**

* * *

 **Prologue: Welcome To Orario**

* * *

 _I guess I never thought that this game would become so widespread. All us gods taking human form, making ourselves mortal as we gather our respective familias. I honestly didn't think that there were this many people who wanted to become adventurers and faithfully serve us._

 _An adventurer has a very hard life; it's up to them to provide for us gods and one of the best ways to do so was to venture into the dungeons. In doing so however...it was about the riskiest thing a person could do because the dungeon is no place for the inexperienced. It's a very unforgiving place and unlike people who at least have a chance of showing mercy, the monsters within will **never** show mercy._

 _I have seen many people enter the dungeon, fully confident that they will be able to take on the entirety of it on their own...only to never see them emerge from that place again. Some adventurers are smart and choose to work together, forming parties and splitting the loot amongst themselves. Other adventurers would take Supporters into the dungeon, which would not only give them help in fighting the monsters but also potentially increase the amount of loot they can bring back due to having an extra hand._

 _Many strategies were developed over all this time but still...I didn't have a familia to call my own. I wasn't one of the most "liked" and favored goddesses and people often looked down on me because of my frail appearance...as well as my height._

 _My name is Hestia. I wasn't well off compared to many of the other gods who descended into the Lower World as we called it. I struggled to find people to join my familia and even though I was thankful that I was given a room at an abandoned church, it was difficult to provide for myself now that I was fully mortal. I was just like any other woman out there...defenseless, vulnerable and most importantly, **mortal**._

 _This continued for about two years...until I finally found my very first member._

* * *

 _ **Two Years Ago- Just Outside Of Orario**_

 _I was positive that I heard a cry of pain. I have no idea what drove me to come outside here...but I felt a very strong magic surge in the area and from how it felt...it was almost as if it was desperate._

 _I followed the shift in the air as it lead me deeper into the forest. I could hear the whistling of arrows and loud footsteps. Knowing full well that I likely wouldn't be able to fight anyone, I hid myself in the bushes and moved as quietly as I could._

 _"Where is that little shit!"_  
 _"I can't believe he avoided the ambush we set for him!"_

 _My hand went over my mouth as I recognized the voices speaking._

 ** _"...Those are the guys who I've heard have been robbing weaker adventurers..."_**

 _I had heard a lot about them thanks to Loki...and they did not have a good reputation at all._

 _"He couldn't have gotten far, spread out and find him!"_  
 _"Why are we chasing him so far?"_

 _I heard the sound of a punch landing followed by a thud on the ground._

 _"That guy we robbed made it all the way to the 9th floor on his own and now that kid stole the loot we worked so hard to steal that's worth least 100,000 Valis worth of crystals and drops,"_

 _I shook my head in disappointment; leave it to rotten people like them to try and exploit the weakness of a lone adventurer going through the dungeon._

 _"This kid is fast...very fast; most likely a decently trained ranger,"_  
 _"Then stay in pairs,"_

 _I heard the group of men separate as I listened closely, attempting to find any sign of the fleeing adventurer. I felt vibrations in the trees as I focused my senses harder until finally, I felt his presence. He was hiding silently in the trees and judging from how heavily he was breathing, he was exhausted. He had to have been running from these men for a long period of time and I had no idea if he was injured or not. Suddenly, I felt fur against my leg and I jolted immediately, falling right on my ass._

 _I saw a black wolf, nearly as large as I was looking at me. I had no idea where it had come from nor why it was looking at me so intently but it turned it's back, motioning as if she wanted me to follow her. I nodded at her and did as she appeared to request and it wasn't long before I arrived at a tree._

 _"Fang must've picked up your scent...you're not with them so why are you out here?"_

 _I saw the adventurer climb down from the tree and I was horrified at his state. He was bleeding, almost profusely from a slash across his torso. Judging from how red the bandages were, he had to have just patched himself up. Despite having such a large wound, he didn't appear at all in pain. His eyes soon widened._

 _"...You're a goddess...Hestia?" he asked._

 _I gasped._

 _"You know who I am?" I replied._

 _He nodded slowly._

 _"I'm aware of how all the gods look...I never thought I'd actually meet you at some point,"_

 _He suddenly collapsed to his knees. Fang immediately ran to his side but he raised a hand, causing her to back off slowly._

 _"...I don't know why you left the safety or Orario but these men have been chasing me for nearly five hours...I still haven't been able to evade them because every time I get near to the city limits, three or four of them drive me away from it...I've been stuck in limbo for a long time and now...I'm beginning to think I won't make it,"_

 _I shook my head._

 _"You stole all of that loot by yourself?" I asked._

 _He turned to Fang and smiled._

 _"Not without her help,"_

 _The wolf approached him and he petted her._

 _"I'm glad I met her...she's saved my life numerous times but now...I don't know if we'll be able to make it inside,"_

 _I rose to my feet._

 _"I'll get you inside," I said._

 _He looked at me as if in disbelief._

 _"Why risk your life for a stranger?" he asked._  
 _"An adventurer being hunted by that gang of thieves can't be all bad," I replied._

 _I helped him to his feet._

 _"Stay close to me and wait for me to distract them before you make a rush for the city limits," I instructed._

* * *

 _I still couldn't believe it was all that time ago. I did indeed manage to get him inside but he truly proved himself a good man when he turned back to help me._

 _Because of how frail I was in addition to my reputation of not having any members in my familia, the gang of thieves attacked me just as I had planned. I had hoped I would've been able to escape them on my own but as luck would have it, I couldn't. In fact...I don't know what would've happened had the elf not turned back to help me. Despite still being injured, he managed to fight off all of them but in doing so, he nearly died of blood loss. I took him to my home and nursed him back to health. Even though I was aware of how much Valis he had in his pack, I made no move to take even a single piece from it; he didn't have to save my life and he risked his further in order to protect me._

 _It took nearly two weeks for him to be back to relatively good health and I had to work several jobs in order to provide the medical supplies needed in addition to having to request a loan from Loki. Despite usually being a total bitch to me, Loki took pity on the adventurer and saw my cause as a truly noble one. Loki allowed one of her familia to come to the church and heal him fully of all his injuries._

 _Despite being free...he didn't leave me. He had all the Valis he could ever need to go back out and live the life he was living before as a hunter...but the day he asked me if he could join my familia was a day I would etch into my memory to never be forgotten. He was so grateful for my efforts that he not only joined my familia, he took it upon himself to work and provide for me._

 _Three years later, I learned his name was Takashi Mashiro. He hailed from the mountains to the north and was on his own for a long time until he discovered his affinity to nature. I saw how excellent of a hunter he was, regularly bringing back big game which was more than enough to provide for the two of us but even though he had the money to really take care of himself, he chose to improve living conditions for the two of us. The abandoned church was soon renovated and the rooms we lived in down in the basement expanded greatly. Though it wasn't a luxurious life, he earned everything with his own skills and wits which was a feat I had never seen another person do before._

 _He quickly garnered a reputation as one of the best hunters in Orario and some of the other gods were even jealous of the fact that I had such a skilled adventurer under my familia. Even though he was offered numerous times to join the more high profile familias, he refused every single one of them, stating that he was completely dedicated to taking care of me._

 _He truly showed loyalty...and he never once asked for anything in return. He would be the one to cook dinner for us even after a hard day spent in the dungeons, he would be the one to do most of the shopping and he would be the one who took care of all of the expenses for our home. In other words, he was the textbook definition of a provider._

 _I truly feel blessed to have someone like him looking out for me...and I thank him every single day for being so good to me._

 _His response to it?_

 _A smile that only he could do. A smile that I had learned to love. Not the kind of head over heels love that a teenaged girl would get for a handsome warrior...but the kind of love a mother showed to her child. He told me time and time again that he did everything for me because he loved me and I knew precisely what he meant by it; I saved his life and he returned the favor. After hearing his story, I knew that he already looked at me like a motherly figure and I was perfectly fine with that. To go that far beyond the call of duty was something that truly defined him as the man he is and I was fortunate enough to watch him grow._

 _Within the two years he was here with me, he grew into a level 3 adventurer. His stats were exceptional, especially his agility and dexterity which translated well into his proficiency with a bow. I had seen several great archers and he definitely stood as one of the greatest I have ever seen._

 _His affinity with nature only grew and he soon developed skills that took advantage of this. He developed the ability to speak to animals, which helped him become an even more effective hunter as he was able to hunt dangerous animals that threatened the safety of traders and travelers. He even developed a magical affinity for nature energy, regularly using it to enhance his speed and prowess with his bow._

 _His wolf Fang had grown into a beautiful she-wolf, larger than I was and acted as a Supporter to him which enabled him to bring back even more spoils. I was sure there was a magical connection between the two of them because wolves do not grow that large naturally. It was very possible that their bond was what allowed Fang to take on animals even larger than herself with relative ease. She was also a very intelligent animal and Takashi often left her with me when he was going on solo hunting tasks for the city._

 _Overall, I'm very glad I met him...and I certainly hope that my familia will grow. Loki is already far ahead of me and she has a fresh batch of adventurers coming in tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll be able to expand as well?_


	3. Hestia's Wish

**(A/N): Time to get this content started. I'm still waiting for submissions so don't worry if you character hasn't appeared yet; I'm just getting the ball rolling with the cast that I already have set and ready to go. It'll be very easy to get everyone into the story at this stage as basically nothing's happened yet.  
**

 **Thanks for being interested everyone and I do hope you're enjoying the ride so far. I also want to note that I have an excess of guy characters so far so if any of you lovely ladies out there would like to DanMachi-fy yourself, I totally encourage it. At the moment, the guys outnumber the girls 9-5.**

 **Anywho, let's jump back in shall we?**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Hestia's Wish**

* * *

 **EDIT: And I did it again...wrong damn document. Every time I name the document the same thing, I need to slap myself with a frying pan. Reread this chapter if you have already; there are a few things that are different.**

 **EDIT 2: Changed the time frames to account for my initial mistake in the prologue. Also forgot to explain a few things so one more read should answer every single question you guys should have.**

* * *

 **The Hostess Of Fertility**

"Loki-sama...I would love to join your familia..."

I heard Loki scoff as I turned to see her smiling. She placed her hand on the boy's head and ruffled it.

"Get some more hair on your chest and we'll talk kid," she replied with a wink.

Her words seemed to give him some hope and he nodded.

"I've seen some of your leatherworking...it's not half bad for a kid your age," she said.  
"T-T-Thank you..." he replied blushing.

She poked him in the head.

"When you get a little stronger, come back to me and we'll talk," she said.

The boy nodded eagerly and left the building as Loki approached me.

"Just couldn't bear to break the kid's hope," she said with a sigh.  
"At least you have a sizable familia as it is," I replied rolling my eyes.

Loki snickered.

"Maybe you can use those tits of yours to get some more people to join," she teased.

I shook my head, now very irritated at her jabs.

"Where's that handsome ranger of yours?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"He said he would meet me here this morning," I replied.  
"He's a really good man Hestia,"

Loki's face suddenly turned serious.

"I heard about that time when those thieves were trying to kill him when he stole all of the loot they themselves stole," she continued.  
"...I'll never forget that day,"

Loki nodded.

"He didn't have to save you but he protected you with his life and look at what's happened in the two years you two have been working together," she said.

I nodded in agreement; Takashi had definitely improved things for me. He always took hunting contracts that made him travel to other parts of the continent and every time he did, instead of using the money on himself he chose to improve things for me...he truly is a selfless person.

"That boy is a keeper Hestia...I truly envy you for having him," said Loki.

I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Maybe you should stop playing hard to get and maybe you'll actually bring in people like him?" I growled back.

Loki chuckled loudly.

"I'll bear that in mind,"

A loud bark suddenly broke me away from my conversation with her...a bark I knew all too well. I smiled as I saw the door open and the elf of my thoughts stepped through.

Standing at 5' 10", Takashi Mashiro was an elf that many women fawned over. Developing quite the athletic build and toning his muscles through his job as a hunter, Takashi was a great example of what an adventurer could truly look like when they push themselves in their training. His signature spiky black hair had grown considerably in volume since the day I met him three years ago, now long enough to nearly cover his golden eyes. I always found it a little unusual that his elf ears were a little longer than usual but it was difficult to pay attention to that whenever he was looking at me.

He was dressed in his ranger's armor, getting it handmade by an elf leatherworker in one of the towns he visited outside of Orario. That armor never showed any signs of wear and tear, which was hard to believe because of how much work he does. This was all covered by a dark brown cloak that he commonly wore over with the hood over his head in tandem with a half mask to hide his identity when traveling. This time however, his hood was down and he was doing something that I rarely see him do...smiling.

I have no idea why I loved it so much when he smiled. Maybe it was because I had grown to love him so much over the two years he's spent with me or maybe it was because he was such a distant and cold person to others, but never to me. His smile was such a rare occurrence that I could remember every moment he did...on two hands. Nevertheless, him smiling could only mean that he had great news. I hadn't seen him in nearly a week; he had to travel south to take care of some feral bears that were attacking some of the traders traveling along the route.

He approached Loki and I and bowed respectfully to Loki, who in turn smiled at him.

"Such a gentleman," she said with a foxy smile.  
"My lady, may I borrow Hestia for a moment?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and got up from my seat.

"Why're you asking **her** for permission?" I growled.

He looked at me with a blank face and shook his head. Loki laughed softly and rose to her feet as well.

"I have things to take care of so I'll see the two of you later," she said.

She waved as she left the building. My attention returned to Takashi who was still smiling.

"Hestia...I-"

I didn't even give him a chance to say a word before I jumped at him and hugged him. He returned the gesture, embracing me deeply.

"I...wanted to apologize for not being here for this past week; tracking those bears was difficult work even with Fang," he explained.  
"You don't ever have to explain yourself to me...as long as you come back to me I'm perfectly happy," I replied.

He released me as he reached into his cloak and pulled out a small bag.

"I managed to find the herbs that you said we should get stock of...it was incredibly difficult to find it but I did," he said.

I took the bag and smiled.

"Who would've thought you'd actually be able to find Silfen Moonblossom down south," I said.  
"I had some help,"

As if on cue, Fang walked through the door and sat beside him.

"She found the herbs after looking for about two hours," he explained.

I held my hand out to Fang and she approached me, nuzzling her head against my palm.

"What else happened?" I asked.  
"I took care of the bears...and in gratitude for doing so, I got this,"

He reached over to Fang and removed a large sack from the saddle before dropping it on the table.

"We finally have enough money to get an actual residential lot if my math is correct," he said.

My eyes widened.

"But...how did you-"  
"I didn't spend a single coin of our earnings for the past six months and I took double the contracts...so now we can finally live in a house," he said.

I smiled and hugged him, completely unable to contain my happiness anymore. He laughed softly.

"All we need now is a familia to live with us," he said.

I nodded.

"Let's work hard then," I said.

He shook his head and sighed.

"Unfortunately, the good news comes with bad news...I've been called to help at the apothecary outside of town," he said.

I sighed deeply as I released him. He looked at me, clearly saddened by the loss of happiness in my face.

"I'll be back tonight...Fang's going to stay with you until I come back because she hurt her right foreleg on the way back," he said.

I nodded slowly.

"I'll see you tonight?" he asked.  
"Maybe Fang can give me some good luck,"

He looked at her and rubbed her head.

"Considering that she's never stayed with you for one of your attempts, maybe she can," he said chuckling softly.

Fang was a well known figure in Orario; Takashi was the only one throughout all of the city who actually managed to tame a dire wolf. This species of wolf had an infamous reputation of how deadly their pack hunting could be due to their tremendous size and speed. Takashi however got lucky and found Fang about two years before he met me.

The dire wolf had a very strange growth pattern, most of them reaching full size by about five years into their lifespan of around 70 years. When he first found her, Fang was merely a puppy whose mother had been poached by some hunters. Takashi took care of her despite knowing how dangerous of an animal she was.

When Takashi met me, Fang was already larger than me...though I wasn't very large myself. Within the following two years, Fang nearly tripled in size and was more than strong enough to carry two people with a good amount of load attached to her saddle which Takashi had custom made by a leatherworker named Master Yendor. He however only made her wear the saddle when they were traveling very long distances. Once Takashi reached level 2 a year and four months ago, he gained his Animal Whispering skill which allowed him to fully communicate with her. Now, they were an even better team and she proved invaluable for many things. Now, Takashi finally had time to catch his breath...after this apothecary trip.

I smiled at him.

"Considering how many times I've failed before, I'm not sure I'll be able to," I said.  
"I'm sure Vanna and Akio will be happy to help you," he said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't Vanna go on a hunting trip?" I asked.  
"She should be back any minute now considering how good she's gotten at it," he replied.  
"And Akio?"  
"He was taking leatherworking lessons from Master Yendor," replied Takashi.

I nodded slowly.

"I guess they could help me this time; they spent so much of their time trying to catch up to you that it actually shocked me," I said.  
"They both got to level 2 in roughly the same time that I did...I'm quite proud of them," he said with a humble smile.

Considering the sheer amount of work that Takashi did, it was no surprise that he was already a level 3 adventurer and it wouldn't surprise me if I decided to check his stats now, he would have sky high stats. He turned to leave.

"Do you want me to pick you up anything on the way back?" he asked.

I smiled brightly.

"Bring me something nice!"

* * *

 **Later That Night-** **The Apothecary**

I didn't think when they called me to work at the apothecary...they meant for the entirety of the day. The pay wasn't even all that great but I guess the fact that I actually helped save some lives today was reason enough to have come. I'm not entirely sure why so many adventurers were getting injured...maybe it's one of those times when the new adventurers get a little ahead of themselves and try to venture in without any sort of plan. Whatever the reason, I really hope that they'll learn to be more careful; the dungeon forgives no one for making even the slightest mistake.

As I left the store, I suddenly heard a sickening scream. I clenched my fist.

 _"...I'm sorry Hestia, you're going to have to wait a little_ longer,"

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to the gates of Orario and leaped into the trees. I pulled my hood over my head and raised the half mask to ensure no one would recognize me as I leaped from tree to tree until I came upon the source of the scream: a woman. I examined her barely standing figure and my eyes widened once I noticed how injured she was.

 _"What the hell did that to her..."_

I looked around for any sign of an assailant but my ears beat me to it; there was some loud barking.

 _"Feral hounds...should've known there would be more coming towards the woods,"_

The woman had silver hair which transitioned rather nicely into a rose gold colored finish towards the end, fair skin and pale grey eyes. Judging from the cat ears, I assumed she was a Cat Person. She was about 5' 8" and had a well toned body with a decent amount of curves. She was dressed in a red loose blouse that was torn at several places as well as a matching skirt.

 _"Those hounds must've really done a number on her...I'd better get her out of here before they find her,"_

As if to prove me right, four hounds appeared from the bushes and eyed her, growling and snarling fiercely. I closed my eyes and began to focus on the environment.

"Rise from the earth, fulfill your purpose to protect thyself and to preserve the life of all the living,"

Large roots soon erupted from the ground and ensnared all four of the hounds as I leaped down from the tree. I heard three more of the hounds coming from the left and I immediately loaded an arrow into my shortbow. I closed my eyes and focused and once I opened them, I saw the hounds leaping towards me. With tremendous speed, I fired the first arrow at the closest one and swiftly repeated the gesture for the next two before rolling out of the way of their incoming bodies. I managed to reach the woman, who looked at me with disbelief.

"H-H-How're you so fast..." she asked.  
"We'll talk about this later...right now you need medical attention," I replied.

I placed my bow on my back and picked her up onto my back.

"Judging from that leg wound...there's no way you'll make the walk back," I said.

She blushed profusely and shook her head.

"...This is embarrassing...being saved by some stranger," she growled.

I heard the roots snap and I immediately leaped into a tree, clearing them as fast as my legs could carry the two of us. Knowing full well that the hounds would follow us to the ends of the earth, I closed my eyes and focused once more, searching for any sign of life.

"Defenders of the wood, lend me your aid," I cried out.

I heard the roar of a bear as well as the cries of several birds of prey circling above us. Knowing that I could leave the hounds to them, my focus now was to get the woman back to Orario quickly; I had no idea just how severe her wounds were considering how much of her body the clothing covered. I channeled energy through my body, gathering enough to make my move.

"Hold on as tightly as you can," I instructed.

Her grip tightened greatly in response.

 _"Swift..."_

* * *

 **Meanwhile- Hestia's Church**

I guess it was really a good thing that I decided to stay at The Hostess today. Takashi was right when he said that I could do it and I managed to haul in a handful of adventurers today. I managed to get a total of 3 today. But before I even get to the new ones...I couldn't help but think of the two that were already on board with me.

The first of them was Akio Homura. He was a tall boy, 17 year old boy about 5' 11" and of a slender build. He had silver hair with very light skin and wore your average standard tunic with trousers. He wasn't all that impressive visually to be honest but his heart...his heart was what captured my attention.

From the day he decided to join the family a year and eight months ago, I saw a bright and cheerful boy who had a lot of confidence. Though he tended to be shy, especially around women, he and Takashi developed a very respectful relationship with Akio aspiring to be as great as him one day. He had a great amount of willpower and absolutely refused to give up on a challenge, regularly redefining the term " _proving others wrong_ ". There were numerous times when he went into the dungeon alone despite the warnings Takashi and I gave him and he still came back just fine. I guess he was really serious about catching up to Takashi; he reached level two within a year and five months of joining the family.

He's a very efficient fighter, making use of some form of magnetism spell to creatively use of that satchel full of knives he always carried. If that wasn't enough, he was pretty handy with that sword on his back though he prefers to use magic most of the time. He was easily the one who killed the majority of the monsters whenever he and Vanna went into the dungeon. Whenever he wasn't in the dungeon, he worked as a leatherworker under the tutelage of Master Yendor, who was a friend Takashi made a year ago who he regularly brought hides to. Though he wasn't quite proficient yet, Akio was very good at tanning hides and made a decent amount of Valis by doing so. I'm sure that if he continues to train, he'll be able to provide armor for all of us.

Then there was Vanna Stillwind. She stood at 5' 6" and had an athletic build though not as clearly defined as the rest of her family. She had long chocolate brown hair, dark brown eyes and skin just slightly paler than cream. She for some reason only wears conservative clothing, revealing only her legs often times if she isn't covered from head to toe and for some reason, she had a tendency to wear a cloak and always have her head covered. I teased her a lot about her modest bust size which she of course would simply brush off most times; she was a pretty fun person whenever she wasn't out hunting. One thing I respect is that she never forgets her roots; she never removes her father's ring unless she's going into water or bathing.

She was an aspiring ranger, very similar to Takashi in her focuses in combat but she was gifted with the power to freeze water. When she reached level 1, she already obtained Icebolt and by the time she reached level 2 roughly two days after Akio, she had developed a spell that allowed to to freeze any body of water in a distance around her by simply focusing and chanting. Her accuracy was also incredible; she was easily able to keep pace with Takashi even though he was a full level ahead of her. She also helped contribute to the funds by becoming a fletcher. In fact, she was good enough at the art to actually attract rangers all around Orario to buy her arrows. The two of them kept me company most of the time; Takashi often traveled outside of Orario for his hunting contracts.

Finally, there were the three adventurers than joined us today.

The first was the happy go lucky half Cat, half Runarl girl named Mira Hitsuka. She was eager to help in any way that she could once she saw me...and something tells me that Fang walking up to her and sniffing her caught her attention as well. She had what I would describe to be an average body figure and average height. She certainly had an athletic build with toned arms and legs, no doubt due to the fact that she wielded that giant scythe she carries around. She had a light, velvet cream skin tone, long rose pink hair with soft curls and pale pink eyes. She for some reason liked to walk around in a casual dress comprised of a ribbon choker on the neck with another ribbon that holds the white dress together. It wasn't form fitting but it was certainly flowy enough to show her body figure. She also has a modest bust size, though isn't what I would consider to be "busty".

Mira already struck me as a very lovable girl; she was very friendly and warm-hearted. She could be a bit of a klutz at times, especially with menial tasks such as carrying a tray of drinks to a table or even running down stairs. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard when I saw her drop her mug and spilled the contents all over Loki...golden memory after just knowing her for twenty minutes. I still didn't fully understand why she decided to convert from Apollo's familia to mine but I guess she had her reasons.

After they all returned from their trip to the dungeon, I was told she has a tendency to worry about comrades and friends. Even though she wasn't the most adept of healers, she knew enough to get the job done. She's apparently witty when faced with enemies, often thinking of the most clever ways to outsmart them and risk the others as little as possible. Akio describes her as " _always itching for a fight_ " and positively **loved** putting that giant scythe of hers to use. She proved herself a valuable asset to everyone today, especially since they happened to be attacked by a giant spiders which loved to poison adventurers unlucky enough to take them lightly. With that **Purify** spell of hers, she was a godsend to be with them during that entire ordeal.

Then there were the sisters Hanna and Amie Lee. Absolutely adorable by the eyes but a really strong team when they work together. Hanna seemed to take the initiative to become a very skilled rogue while Amie seemed to want to only support her older sister.

Hanna had long black to green ombre hair and emerald eyes along with a skin tone that was a few shades above cream. She was short in stature, standing at about 5' 5". She definitely had an athletic build with all of the speed and cardio training she put herself through but was by no means toned or large. She wore a black leather jacket over a green dress, ending just above the knees. After examining her stats, I learned that she was rather gifted with electrical magic. She had the ability to produce and conduct strong currents of electricity through herself and just about anything she touches. In addition to that, she was very skilled with daggers and I was even told that she somehow managed to move fast enough to make everyone else look like they were standing still. However...I felt worry go down my spine when I heard that she wanted revenge in her future.

Her sister shared the same ambition...though she seemed a lot sweeter. Amie was a year younger than she was and completely paled in comparison to her sister's prowess. However, Amie made up for it by being an excellent Supporter, sporting a skill that allowed her to effortlessly carry massive amounts of weight which allowed everyone to bring back quite the haul from the trip. Amie for some reason loved to wear a tiger-themed onesie and almost always had the hood over her head. From what I could make out, she was slightly shorter than her sister and wasn't toned or anything of the sort. She was rather timid looking...and I could imagine that she would sit on the sidelines and use that powerful spell of hers whenever she could. After looking at her stats, I found that she had quite a unique ability: **Fifth Reflect**. It was a shield that's capable of reflecting any offensive magic and quintuple the potency but because her body was so frail, it tired her out greatly to use it.

"Hestia!"

I jolted from my thoughts as I saw Takashi run through the doors with...a woman in his arms?

"She needs help right now," he said.

I nodded as I turned to Amie.

"Go get Mira," I said.

Amie nodded and quickly zipped off downstairs. Takashi placed her on the table in front of us as I began to examine her wounds.

"The fact that she's still conscious right now...that's incredible," I said.

Takashi looked away.

"I was sure I smelled some kind of venom...is it Fellfang Spider venom?" asked Takashi.

I looked at one of the wounds and raised an eyebrow; it wasn't bleeding much despite the size of it. I leaned closer and took a sniff to find a familiar putrid scent.

"She must've been hit by an arrow or a dart that had Fellfang venom in it because some of these wounds aren't bleeding," I said.  
"I'll get to work,"

He ran down the stairs and it didn't take long for Mira to come up.

"What can I do?" she asked.  
"Cure her of the venom that's going through her veins...but heal the cuts first," I instructed.

Mira shook her head.

"Won't that cause the venom to spread even faster?" she asked.  
"If we act quickly, we can stop the spread...just do what I say," I said.

Mira nodded slowly and closed her eyes as she raised her hands over the woman.

"Breathe fresh life into the veins of your unfortunate daughter...mend her wounds with your divine light,"

Her wounds were immediately enveloped golden light and right before my eyes, the wounds began to seal. Within a minute, all of her wounds sealed themselves shut as Mira caught her breath before putting a hand on the woman's forehead.

"Cleansing gold, purge the impurities from this one...purify her to serve the light,"

The woman immediately winced in pain as she opened her mouth. A green smoke began to erupt from her nose and mouth as Mira then placed two hands on her head. After several seconds of channeling, the smoke stopped coming out of her mouth as Mira released the spell.

"She'll be fine if she rests," said Mira.

I smiled at her.

"Thank you Mira," I said.

She smiled at me before turning to go back downstairs. Takashi returned several minutes later with a potion.

"She appears to be half elf...so an elven stamina potion should work just fine on her," he said.

I nodded and took the potion from him as he lifted the woman into his arms.

"Are there others?" he asked.  
"One more...but she hasn't returned from the errands I sent her on yet," I replied.

He nodded slowly.

"I'm glad you met these people...else this woman probably would've met her end," he said.  
"You'll catch up with them tomorrow," I said smiling.

He carried her towards the living quarters, where he passed by a sleeping Akio and Hanna while Amie was sitting on the bed opposite the one he then placed her in. She slowly opened her eyes as I offered her the potion. She weakly nodded as I poured it down her open mouth. Within seconds, life returned to her body as she looked at me with a grateful smile.

"Thank you for your help...you must be Hestia," she said.

I nodded and looked at Takashi, who was leaning against the wall and looking out the window.

"He's the one who brought you here...I just helped," I replied.

The woman smiled.

"He must be the one that they call the _Wolf Tamer_?" she asked.  
"You know his alias huh?" I replied with a smile.

She nodded slowly.

"It's hard not to hear of him when everyone looks up to him," she explained.

Takashi turned to her and examined her.

"The elven brew I made you clearly worked well...just get some rest and you'll be fine in the morning," he said.

He pulled his hood over his head and began to head out the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked.  
"To the dungeon...we're going to need enough Valis to get her a room in the new lot," he replied.

I raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you so sure she'll join us?" I asked.  
"Because she told me she would if I saved her life," he replied.

He whistled loudly and within seconds, Fang was at his side.

"Let's go," he said.

The two of them left the room. I turned back to the woman and smiled.

"So you want to join the familia?" I asked.  
"With someone as kind as he is...why would I not join?" she replied.

I nodded as she held out her hand. I took it and began to chant softly.

"I'm converting from my old familia because I have no interest in their motives anymore," she said.

I looked at her in disbelief; another person who converted?!

"From who?" I asked.  
"Apollo's...it's straight up boring over there so I'm definitely more interested in being here," she explained.

A blue light enveloped her body as I finished my chant.

"You have my blessing," I whispered.

She smiled at me.

"Nice to meet you Hestia, my name is Nana Ito!"

* * *

 **Later That Night- Takashi's Room**

I hung up my cloak on the rack beside my door as Fang came inside and laid down beside the bed.

"Are you going to tell me the real reason why you went into the dungeon tonight?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"You should be sleeping...' I said.

I felt arms around my neck and weight against my back.

"You know that I'll never sleep unless I know that you're alright," she replied.

I sighed softly as I carried her over to the bed and sat down. Hestia sat beside me.

"What's on your mind?" she asked.

 **~ o ~**

"...I almost failed that woman today because I was too slow...and if I had gotten there even a minute later, who knows what could've happened," he said.  
"You can't blame yourself for what could've been Takashi,"

I approached him and hugged him from behind.

"You made it there and you saved her...you did well today," I said in a soothing voice.

His tense body soon began to relax.

"... **She** would be very proud of you," I whispered.

Those words seemed to be the ones he needed to hear as he soon began to break down. It was no secret to me that Takashi still kept his mother in his thoughts. How he longed to go out and find her...but as a level 3 adventurer, there's no way he would be safe to do it on his own.

"You're not an invincible wall Takashi...you have emotions just like any of us and you know I'm always here for you...I love you like my own son," I whispered.

I gently stroked the back of his head.

"You're not alone...you have friends here that love you and if nothing else...you always have me,"

He turned around and buried his head in my neck. I knelt down fully to accommodate his height and I gently embraced him as he sobbed silently. He wasn't the most stable of people; traumatic events in one's childhood would obviously have that effect on someone but he always tried to do the right thing because it's what his mother taught him to do. Even if it meant risking his life, Takashi could always be counted on to do the right thing. I felt his body shiver and it wasn't long before I felt his tears on my skin. I hushed him as best I could, feeling tears within my own eyes welling up.

 _"He finally decided to trust me...he finally opened up and let out all of the suffering he's felt for all this time..."_

I hugged him closer to me and he simply allowed me to, crying almost silently for several minutes until he finally stopped.

"You need some rest now...we'll figure everything out in the morning," I said.

I guided him to the top of the bed as he slowly lowered his head to the pillow. His face was blank but his puffy eyes was all the indication I needed to know that he was still in pain.

"Just go to sleep...it's alright...I'm here,"

I hugged him to me after dousing the lantern and after several minutes, he finally fell asleep.

 _"You suffer so much...you need someone to take care of you in a way that I cannot...you need to find someone who can truly fill that void in your heart,"_

 **...**

I closed Takashi's door behind me, sighing in relief that he fell into a deep sleep.

"Is he alright?"

I turned to see Vanna with a very concerned look on her face. I nodded slowly.

"He just needed to let out a few things...he'll be fine," I replied.

Vanna sighed.

"I'm heading out early for the dungeon...so I was hoping you could check my stats?" she asked.

I nodded she raised her shirt and turned her back. I examined the blue letters on her back and my eyes widened.

 _"...Incredible...her dexterity is numerically higher than Takashi's when he was this level..."  
_  
"Wow...you've passed Takashi's Dexterity when he was your level," I said.

Vanna nodded slowly.

"Am I in good shape to for level 3?" she asked.  
"Yes but I believe you should wait just a little longer; since you and Akio were already eligible for an update...I think you all should go to the dungeon together tomorrow to train a little more," I said.

Vanna nodded obediently.

"I'm a long way behind Takashi in other ways...but I know that I will surpass him," she said.

I smiled at her enthusiasm.

"You've got a lot of heart Vanna...that's something we need here," I said.

She smiled at me.

"Thank you for letting me join this familia so long ago...I'm still dead set on getting good enough to join Takashi as an equal but just know that I'll do all I can to make things easier for everyone," she explained.

With a final nod, Vanna left to her room. I looked to the moon and closed my eyes.

 _"If I could have a wish right now...it would be for my familia to get along with each other and do their best...watch each others backs so I don't have to worry myself half to death,"_

I smiled and laughed softly.

 _"Hopefully...we can all be one big happy family after everyone warms up to each other,"_


	4. Unexpected Complications

**(A/N): Still waiting for a few more ladies for the roster. But I do have enough of a cast to really get this thing going so I'll roll with the current cast for a bit. It won't be difficult to get everyone else to come in after.**

 **Also, I'm going to throw this out there as well. If you're a part of this story, it's even more important that you do this.**

 **I'm going to be doing a series of polls on my author page which is going to be used to decide pairings. Part of the challenge is that I myself have absolutely no power over the pairings apart from having the luxury of excluding Yaoi and Yuri at my own discretion. Seeing as I haven't written Yaoi in my entire life (nor do I intend to) and I've tried my hand at Yuri all of twice and wasn't satisfied with the result, I'm going to do just regular pairings. These polls will go for about 4-7 days so I can get a ballpark figure of who should be with who. Every 4 days or so, check my author page to see a new poll.**

 **Thanks again who participated and the moment I get the last of the roster sorted out, I'll update the submission rules with the whole roster that I chose.**

 _ **As of now though, I'm not looking for anymore male characters.**_

 **Anyway, let's get back to it!**

* * *

 **EDIT: Added a few details that were brought to my attention by Cyberweasel89. Take a quick look again and you'll see tiny details added to everything.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Unexpected Complications**

* * *

 **Babel, The Armor Shop**

"Everything set for the trip, Akio?"

I nodded slowly.

"Everyone's all set except for Vanna who's restringing her bow downstairs," I replied.

Mira nodded slowly.

"Where's everyone else?" she asked.  
"Hanna and Amie are at the entrance waiting for us and I believe Nana is getting something done for her whip; she just got a new one," I replied.

Mira nodded slowly.

"What about Takashi?" she asked.  
"He went on ahead to clear out some of the stronger monsters; he didn't want to risk Amie getting caught by those because as you well know, we don't exactly have someone who can stand up to these things," I replied.

Mira raised an eyebrow.

"Did he seriously go off on his own?" asked Mira.

I laughed softly.

"He's spent most of his time going into the dungeon entirely on his own or with Fang...I have faith in him," I said.  
"You've come a long way; trusting him haven't you?" she asked.

I nodded.

"He's proven time and time again that he's a faithful partner and he will never risk the safety of others, preferring to take on the danger himself," I explained.

Mira shrugged.

"He's really nice to everyone...but he's distant most times," she said.  
"He doesn't like to share his past...he's only actually told Hestia about it so he sort of has trust issues," I replied.

She nodded slowly.

"But is he strong enough to make it that far on his own?" she asked.

I laughed nervously.

"Well...after hearing about everyone's stats last night..." I began.

* * *

 ** _The Previous Night- Hestia's Church_**

 _"Your stats are actually great for a level 1 Hanna," said Hestia._

 _Hanna replaced her shirt._

 _"Your agility stat is progressing nicely, which explains why you can move so fast.," she said._

 _Hestia looked at Amie and smiled._

 _"You've been practicing well Amie; your magic stat is growing steadily so keep up with the practice!" cheered Hestia._

 _Amie smiled brightly and even I couldn't help but feel a smile creep onto my face. I had begun to think that she was falling behind everyone due to her lack of physical fitness like the others but Hestia clearly believed that she could handle herself so who was I to not believe in the words of my goddess. Amie got off of the bed as Hestia looked to Takashi._

 _"You're next big guy," she said._

 _He looked back from the window he was looking out of and nodded. He approached the bed and removed his shirt, revealing a remarkably toned body and the same large tattoo that formed on all our backs. A bright blue aura enveloped his tattoo as Hestia began to examine it._

 _"What are his stats like?" asked Amie._

 _Hestia gasped._

 _"...He's grown so much," said Hestia._

 _Takashi didn't respond at all to what she said._

 _"...Your dexterity and agility are nearly 1.5 times what they were before and you've made a lot of progress with your magic stat as well," she explained._

 _Takashi nodded slowly._

 _"Considering that you haven't checked on my stats in nearly a month, it doesn't surprise me," replied Takashi.  
_ _"You're still progressing so fast..." she said._

 _Hestia suddenly made a sound between an excited gasp and a squeal._

 _"Now you can actually go for that grimoire from Eliss's shop!" she said.  
"...My magic progressed to B rank?" he asked in disbelief._

 _Hestia giggled excitedly._

 _"Eliss promised that she would give you a grimoire once you reached B and you finally did it!" she cheered._

 _My mind jolted from her words._

 _"Wait...Eliss as in **Eliss Allons?** One of the very few people in Orario who can actually **create** grimoires?" I asked in shock._

 _Hestia nodded._

 _"Takashi's done a lot of work for her, not to mention that he saved her life a few months ago when she was ambushed by bandits," replied Hestia._

 _I shook my head._

 _"How exactly does a ragtag group of bandits defeat a powerful mage like Eliss?" I asked.  
"Because they aren't bandits...they're deserters with the blessing of Ares who are abusing their powers," replied Takashi._

 _Takashi replaced his shirt before turning to us._

 _"I doubt Ares himself is aware of their actions but these attacks have become frequent...so now it's more important than ever for us to stay together," explained Takashi._

 _He looked at Amie and Hanna._

 _"You two have come a long way these past two weeks, training harder than many adventurers that I've met throughout my lifetime and I have to say that I'm impressed...you're both going to be famous before long," he said with a pleasant smile._

 _He then looked to me._

 _"Akio...you've been a friend and partner to me for nearly two years and you've also come a long way; you used to be probably the most anti-social person I've met...now you're here taking care of these girls," he said._

 _I looked away, feeling a faint blush come to my cheeks._

 _"Shut up Takashi," I said._

 _He laughed softly._

 _"I'm proud of you my friend," he said._

 _Much to my surprise, he held out a hand to me. Not wanting to disappoint him, as well as everyone else in the room, I shook it firmly._

 _"Tomorrow's trip will not be easy...so I'm heading out tonight to gather extra supplies and brew some extra potions in case things go sour," he said._

 _He put his backpack, as well as his bow on his back and climbed onto the windowsill._

 _"I've already been to that floor and I already took a few precautionary steps but I'm not taking any chances," he said._

 _I leaned off the wall._

 _"So what do we do?" I asked.  
"Focus on getting to the exit; you already know where it is with that map we got earlier," he replied._

 _He sighed._

 _"I hope things don't go wrong tomorrow...but the Dungeon really has a way of rubbing salt in your wounds," said Hestia.  
_ _"I'll see you all tomorrow...if I don't arrive by 9 AM tomorrow morning, go in without me and I'll catch up...stay together all of you, no matter what," he said._

 _He jumped out the window._

 _"Is he always so distant?" sighed Amie._

 _Hestia shook her head._

 _"He knows that this isn't exactly the most prepared party for this trip so he just wanted everyone to be safe," she replied.  
"Is he really that sure of himself? That he can actually catch up to all of us on his own?" I asked._

 _Hestia sighed deeply but smiled._

 _"Even though it does come off as cockiness at times...he really has gotten far into that place without anyone's help so I doubt he would make a statement like that if he couldn't follow through," said Hestia._

 _Hanna shook her head._

 _"I still don't get why he treats us as if we're helpless," she said.  
_ _"He knows you all are not helpless but without someone to truly be there to take a blow for any of you, in addition to you and Amie being level 1...can you really expect him to have the utmost confidence?" replied Hestia._

 _Amie put a hand to her chin._

 _"But what makes him such a good hunter? I don't understand how he's able to do the things he does," she asked._

 _Hestia smiled._

 _"It stems from his skills as well as the training he puts himself through," she explained._

 _She then reached into a table and pulled out a small scroll._

 _"I kept a record of his growth since the day he joined me...and it's incredible for someone who doesn't have a way to really amplify his growth rate," she said._

 _I approached them as she began to explain precisely what Takashi does whenever he wasn't home taking care of her._

 _Takashi is a hunter and it's his profession to hunt dangerous animals whenever he wasn't in the dungeon. That would explain how he's always so sharp whenever he ventured into there in addition to how his stats keep increasing. Once he recovered from his injuries when he first met Hestia, he routinely entered the dungeon **every** **single** **day** for the first year and a half he was with her, only stopping to take care of hunting contracts around the time when I joined. In these trips, Takashi trained himself by routinely fighting monsters stronger than him, outwitting them with his superior speed and tactics._

 _Hestia even noted that he killed monsters such as War Shadows and Killer Ants even as a level 1 due to how smart he could be in battle, no doubt due to all the experience he had surviving as a child. Even though he was a great fighter at level 1, he didn't always return unscathed from a dungeon trip and there were times Hestia had to care for his injuries but the more he went into the dungeon, the better he got at fighting on his own._

 _What really added to his expertise is what happened when he became Level 2, which happened a year and six months after he joined her. He developed a great degree of skill in Alchemy after having studied herbs a lot during his travels. This enabled him to make potions to sustain himself as well as to create poisons which helped him fight the monsters even more effectively. He_ _continued to grow stronger due to the tremendous amount of training he puts himself through in addition to his instinct to protect other adventurers; one of the reasons he was so well known is because he has saved quite a few people from certain death. These feats earned him one of his nicknames "Hero Of The Forest"._

 _I truly began to question how he was able to do these seemingly impossible feats...until Hestia informed us of his skills._

 _He was already an excellent shot with a bow thanks to his high dexterity, routinely making extremely difficult shots with his enhanced elven senses enabling him to shoot even more accurately. He also developed his agility stat quickly due to his need to flee from monsters should they close the distance in addition to having to dodge attacks. He also made use of magic, using his spell called **Greensprout** to rapidly grow plants from the Earth. He showed just how well these could work together to allow him to take down stronger monsters. His usual tactic was to ensnare the monster with the roots of trees before unleashing a relentless hail of arrows. Sometimes, he would even have the roots do all the work for him as they could sometimes crush the enemy he chants it upon with the sheer force. _

_However, I really begun to understand how he was so effective; he developed two major skills that really allowed him to maintain his role as an expert marksman._

 _When he became level 1, he developed a skill called **Hawk-Eye** , which allowed him to enter a state of focus which he describes as "seeing the world in slow motion" and allowed him to even more accurately fire his bow. He likely developed this from his initial desire to be a master of the bow as well as to never miss a shot. He was however an extremely rare case of adventurer who developed **two** skills at his first level in comparison to the usual one. This most likely stemmed from his strong desire to protect the innocent as well as nature itself; it was what helped him survive for so long. He developed **Animal Whispering** , which allowed him to decipher the brainwaves of animals into his own dialect and vice versa. This skill of his was what allowed him to truly tame Fang, who is now his closest bond and his hunting partner. When he reached level 2, he developed his signature skill called **Swift** , which temporarily allows him to move so quickly, the human eye cannot see him. This however had the drawback of tremendously straining his body which is why he only uses it when he's fresh or if he's desperate._

 _He really exemplified what hard work can do...but he was by no means untouchable or invincible. He's been injured a fair number of times and he wasn't the best at hand to hand combat. In addition to that, he definitely lacked the ability to take a solid hit._

 _"That's...impressive," I said.  
_ _"Tomorrow...I won't be able to go with you all so please...just watch out for him?" she asked._

 _I nodded confidently._

 _"He's a member of our familia and I know how much he means to you...I'll keep an eye on him always," said Amie._

 _Hestia smiled brightly._

 _"I know he'll start to see you all as family soon...just give him some time to adjust," she said._

* * *

 **Present Time- Babel, The Dungeon's Entrance**

"Everybody ready to go?"

I looked around to see the entire group, standing at attention. I had no idea why I suddenly became the de facto leader of the group but I guess it works right?

"Takashi already went ahead of us to clear out some of the monsters...now remember that while you're in this place, you stay together with the party and don't fall behind, if you need to take a break to rest, let everyone know so we can adjust our pace accordingly," I said.

Everyone nodded in unison.

"Akio...how exactly are we going to deal with them?" asked Vanna.

I put a hand to my chin.

"The way I see it...we probably won't encounter any kind of spellcaster so you'll stay further back Amie," I said.

She nodded.

"Vanna, since you're the best shot that we have and you're rather good at tracking, you take point," I continued.

She nodded as I turned to Hanna.

"You're really good at hitting and running...but because we don't exactly have anyone who can really take a hit, you're going to have to distract them," I said.

She nodded slowly, understanding that she was probably the most capable of dodging attacks than the lot of us. I then looked at Mira and smiled.

"Just be yourself Mira," I said with a chuckle.

She happily made a sound between a meow and a cheer, causing me to roll my eyes; always happy even when it came to a life-threatening situation. I then felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't forget about me,"

Nana laughed softly as she brandished her brand new whip. I closed my eyes and smiled.

"We're going to make it to Rivira today and if we do, we can stay there for a little while and get ourselves in a good position before we head back home...but we must work together; those monsters are no joke," I continued.

A unified cheer followed my words.

"Let's get going then,"

 **...**

 **Several Hours Later- The 17th Floor**

"Akio?"

I turned around to see Mira, who was panting slightly.

"I'm not used this kind of walking...could we take a quick break so I can catch my breath?" she asked.

I nodded with a smile as I turned to everyone.

"Five minute break!" I shouted.

The others stopped, sitting on either the ground or on rocks as I looked at Mira, who seemed very exhausted.

"Probably should've used the potions instead of asking you to heal me..." I sighed.

Mira nodded, still panting heavily.

"I overestimated myself and got a little carried away with all the casting I was doing...besides, the potions are better than the kind of healing magic I know so it's probably better to save those," she replied.

I reached into my bag and handed her a small bottle.

"Drink this; you'll feel a lot better," I said.  
"What is it?" she asked.  
"Just before we went into Babel, Hestia told me to take some of these with me; Takashi brewed these potions himself," I replied.

Mira took the bottle from me and drank it wordlessly. It didn't take long for her to light up, much more energized than before.

"You definitely need to work on your stamina a little more if you're going to come this far down," I said.  
"Thank you Akio," she said with a smile.

She handed the bottle to me and I placed it in my bag. I then turned to everyone but there was still no sign of Takashi.

 _"He said he would meet us here once he scouted ahead...where is he?"_

" **INCOMING!** " screamed Vanna.

I turned and gasped as I saw a very large pair of minotaurs coming towards us.

 _"Wait...what are minotaurs doing here...we aren't supposed to see them for at least another two floors..."_

I cursed loudly.

"Everyone fall back!" I shouted.

Everyone regrouped as we backed away from the minotaurs, who seemed hellbent on killing us all.

"What the hell are minotaurs doing on this floor?!" cried Mira.  
"I have no idea...but we can't turn back now; the rest of the monsters have probably appeared again," I said.

I looked to Vanna and then to Mira as I began to formulate a strategy. Amie stood in the back...but Hanna held her daggers tightly, eyeing the minotaurs.

"Focus them down one at a time!" I ordered.  
" **Power Of Ice! Unleash thy f** **rozen wrath!** **ICEBOLT!** "

A decently sized bolt of frost energy shot from Vanna's hand and struck one of the minotaurs in the leg, freezing part of it as she loaded an arrow.

"Let's do it!" shouted Hanna.

I saw electricity begin to crackle from her daggers.

"Electrify my enemy...grant my blades the edge they need..."

Her daggers quickly came to life with electricity crackling loudly along the blades. She took a breath and dashed forward at quite a speed. I then turned to Mira.

"Think you and I can keep one distracted?" I asked.

She smiled and nodded. I drew my sword, opened the satchel that contained my knives and turned to the minotaur that everyone was not focusing on.

"Don't forget about me!"

Nana brandished her whip and giggled excitedly.

"I've been waiting for some real action all day long," said Nana.  
"Nana, Mira and I will hold the second one, all of you take that other one down!" I ordered.  
" **YES SIR!** " they shouted.

* * *

 **Meanwhile- Somewhere On The 12th Floor**

 _"I didn't anticipate so many minotaurs to be here...the dungeon's being particularly hard on everyone today..."_

I turned to Fang, who looked at me curiously.

 _"You said you found a scent of an adventurer somewhere in this floor?"_  
 ** _"Yes...I haven't lost the scent but I can smell our friends over in the other direction...the lone scent however has a pair of minotaurs with it so whoever it is, she faces them alone,"_**

I cursed loudly.

 _"How far do you think she is?"  
 **"We can get there quickly if we leave now...but I'm not sure how the others are doing,"**_

I took a breath.

 _"Without us, there's no way that person is going to survive on their own...but I don't feel safe letting the others handle so many minotaurs so go back and help them,"_  
 ** _"What about you master?"  
_** _"Don't worry about me; get them to Rivira, I'll join you as soon as I get the person out of here,"_

Fang reluctantly turned her back.

 ** _"Be careful master...this is further than we've ever been before on our own and even though we've been through here thanks to the party that escorted us the last time...I still don't know all of the tricks it holds up its sleeve,"_** _  
"You know I'll be careful...now go,"_

She nodded and sped towards the others.

I had no idea how I was so foolish to let myself get cornered by those minotaurs but I managed to escape unscathed. I should consider myself lucky; a group of minotaurs were enemies that even higher echelon adventurers had problems with Knowing that I no longer had Fang to rely on, I leaped through the trees, using my senses to follow the trail the person left behind. Finally, I finally caught up began to slow down and stalked into the bushes as we found the person.

She...was beautiful. She was clearly an elf as I could see her ears. She had long, snow white hair, crystal white eyes and a skin tone just a few shades shy of salmon. She wore a white sundress, covered by a crimson cloak. The dress exposed a moderate amount of skin...due mostly to the tears on it. She stood at about 5' 6" and had a slender, yet defined figure.

 _"How is she fending off two minotaurs on her own...wait..."_

The familiar scent of blood filled the air and I looked closer to see that her left arm was bleeding and she was panting heavily from exhaustion.

 _"...She's not going to last much longer..."_

I looked in my satchel.

 _"I don't have a lot of poison to work with...time to see if it works as it's supposed to,"_

I jumped into a tree and removed three arrows from my quiver. I then removed a bottle of anesthetic poison from my bag and dipped as many arrows as I could into it. Once I finished, I closed my eyes and began to search for the presence of roots. I could feel all of the trees connected the the Earth as I felt around for any roots that might be near to them. Much to my relief, there were lots of roots near the minotaurs.

I held my hand towards the minotaurs and chanted softly.

" **ENSNARE AND CONSTRICT!** **GREENSPROUT!** "

Large roots and vines shot from the Earth and ensnared both of the minotaurs. The moment the vines were secure, I took my chance and jumped from the tree.

 ** _"Focus...don't miss...a life depends on my accuracy,"_**

using my time in the air to carefully aim the three arrows I drew just before I leaped. I shot them and successfully managed to hit both of the minotaurs with two arrows hitting the one on the left and one on the right. Once I landed, I sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me, readying a second three arrow volley and firing it as soon as I had the balance to do so. Another successful hit, this time increasing the number in the left one to five. I could see the poison taking effect as the minotaur began to slow down dramatically.

 _"Glad I learned how to make this stuff while I was hunting for those_ lions..."

I then removed another three arrows as I drew near to the elf. Suddenly, least injured minotaur broke free of the vines and lashed out with its club. I slid under the swing and fired the arrows, striking it in the stomach and causing it to howl in pain. The poison finally began to show as its swings became slower and slower. I instantly readied another volley but I had to roll out of the way of yet another incoming swing.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't expect such a large amount of force from the club hitting the floor and the shockwave sent me flying a short distance. I managed to recover as I readied my bow again but the minotaur had somehow closed the distance between us and swung its club at me. I managed to dodge the blow but the following punch from the minotaur was completely unavoidable from my position...and the impact sent me flying into the air, causing me to drop my arrows and land roughly on my left arm. I hissed loudly in pain as I struggled to my feet only to see it about to swing again...

 **~ o ~**

 **"THROW MY ENEMIES WITH THE TRUE FORCE OF NATURE! WHIRLWIND!"**

My shout caused a huge gust of wind to blow the minotaur clean off of its feet. As I felt the last of my stamina drain away...I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Can you walk?"

I looked up to see that the elf had somehow made it beside me. He had also shot the minotaur with three more arrows that for some reason, cause it to slow down drastically. I shook my head, still panting very heavily.

"Hold on as tight as you can," he said.

He picked me up onto his back and somehow, he took off at an incredible speed. Before I could process where I was, we appeared in the forest but now, the elf was panting very heavily. We had ended up by some kind of stream, where he placed me down. I looked to see that he was gripping his arm, wincing in pain.

"I really shouldn't do that when I'm injured..." he groaned.

He looked at me before removing a bottle form his satchel and handing it to me.

"Drink this, you'll feel a lot better," he said.

I reluctantly accepted the bottle and drank it. Much to my surprise, I recognized the potion's taste.

"...Elven Swiftmend?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded.

"Learned how to make it from my mother...it's a potion that's saved my life time and time again," he explained.

I could already feel sweet relief coming to my wounds as cuts began to seal themselves and the fatigue began to disappear. He reached for another bottle but before he could open the top, he collapsed to the floor, howling in agony.

"Are you okay?" I cried.

I was at his side almost instantly as he continued to groan.

"...It's a side effect of using that skill of mine when I'm hurt...I should've known better than to use it when the minotaurs hurt me earlier and now my arm is paying for it," he groaned.

I tried to reach for the bottle but much to my horror...it shattered.

"The...the potion shattered," I gasped.

He looked up and cursed loudly.

"That was the last one I had...I didn't think I'd need to take so many with me when Amie was here," he cursed.  
"Amie? You have a party?" I asked.

He moved to a tree and lay against the trunk before nodding.

"My entire Familia is here...but my wolf smelled your blood and I decided to come and help you; I don't want to leave anyone in this accursed place on their own," he explained.

My eyes narrowed; he was brave enough to do this all on his own.

"Where are they now?" I asked.  
"Likely on their way to Rivira...which is the next floor down from here," he groaned.

I nodded.

"...Well, as much as I appreciate your help...I don't know how we're going to get out of this," I said.

The elf looked around and spotted a cave.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

I nodded as I rose to my feet.

"Help me over there...we'll have to stay there until I recover or we'll never make it to the exit," he said.  
"But...how will we were survive?" I asked.  
"I've been to this floor before and I take precautions...just trust me?" he asked.

I slung his arm over my shoulder and nodded.

"What's your name?" he asked.  
"Ayame," I replied.

He nodded slowly.

"Takashi Mashiro, nice to meet you,"


	5. Two Survivors

**(A/N): This right here was actually part of the last chapter but I felt it appropriate to do a new chapter cause well you know, I hate passing 10,000 words and all.**

 **Anyway, still looking for some lovely ladies for the roster. Male cast is all selected and is currently being reviewed for any and all errors. Cyberweasel89 and I will be in touch with all who we select to join the roster.**

 **Till then, let's carry on.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Two Survivors**

* * *

" **WRATH OF METAL! STRIKE WITHOUT MERCY! MAGNET PUSH!** " roared Akio.

A large number of daggers floated from Akio's satchel and into the air before raining down on one of the minotaurs, causing it to roar in pain.

" **NOW YOU TWO!** " he shouted.

Hanna stopped moving and closed her eyes, evidently trying to focus her energy. Vanna loaded four arrows into her bow. She let them loose and successfully struck the minotaur with all four. She repeated her previous chant and fired another Icebolt at the minotaur, this time connecting with it's chest, causing yet another roar of pain.

" **NOW HANNA!** " shouted Akio.

She closed her eyes and repeated her chant. A potent electric current began to crackle loudly from her daggers and she quickly closed the distance between herself and the minotaur, landing a devastating slash across its torso.

"Watch out sis!" I shouted.

Hanna looked up and just barely managed to roll out of the way of an oncoming club swing.

" **GO MIRA!** " shouted Akio.

Mira nodded firmly as she charged towards the minotaur, her giant scythe in hand.

" **Corrupt, decay and realize your inevitable doom!** "

She held out a single hand.

 **"SHADOWBOLT!"** she shouted.

A ball of shadow energy flew from her hand and struck the minotaur in the chest, stunning it. Her scythe soon began to glow with shadow energy and she leaped into the air with a loud battle cry. She landed a devastating slash across the chest of the minotaur. It roared in pain and swung it's massive hand...which unfortunately connected with Mira. She flew through the air, heading straight towards a tree.

"Mira!" shouted Akio.

I saw her brace for the impact...but as if from nowhere, a body got behind her and cushioned the hit for her. Much to my surprise, a man had somehow appeared from out of nowhere and caught her. Akio sighed in relief as the familiar bark of Fang filled the air.

"Nana! Finish that thing off!" said Vanna.  
"Got this covered!" she shouted back.

She brandished her whip.

 **"FLAME ON!"**

Nana's armor and whip suddenly began to glow red.

" **FLAMES OF DESTRUCTION! REDUCE MY ENEMIES TO ASH!** **CIRCLE OF FLAME!** "

The minotaur was immediately surrounded with a blazing inferno. Nana then ran forward and unleashed a relentless flurry of strikes, each one leaving a fresh cut on the hide of the trapped minotaur. After several seconds of attacks, she finished with a final stroke.

" **INCINERATE MY ENEMY! CIRCLE OF FLAME!** "

The ring of fire that surrounded the minotaur then closed in, setting it ablaze. It roared in agony and thrashed about violently as Nana wound her whip up and hung it on her belt. Seconds later, the minotaur collapsed and disintegrated into a magic crystal and much to my surprise, a horn.

Remembering that Mira was just launched through the air, I rushed to her side to see that she was perfectly alright, though the man that cushioned her impact wasn't exactly in the best shape.

"...Who are you?" she said.  
"The name's Zekko, Zekko Asano,"

Mira got up and looked at him.

"How the hell did you get there so quickly?" she asked.  
"Neat little skill I like to call **Leap Of Faith** ," he replied with a smile.

He rose to his feet.

"How did you get all the way down here on your own?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"I didn't come here alone...my comrades were all killed by Lygerfangs and Minotaurs," he replied.

My eyes narrowed.

"I saw you all in trouble so I saw no reason to not help out...so here I am," he said.  
"We'll get introductions done later but for now, we need to get to the exit to Rivira," said Mira.

Zekko nodded.

"I know where the exit is so follow me," he said.

* * *

 **One Hour Later- The 17th Floor, Inside A Cave**

"How does your arm feel?" I asked.

Takashi shook his head.

"That blow to my arm must've been more severe than I thought...I really should've carried more potions," he said.

I sighed softly, bringing my legs to my chest and shivering from the cold air. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.

"How did you get here?" he asked.

My eyes narrowed.

"I was here with an escort because I was trying to get to Rivira myself...but all of them got killed," I replied.

He gasped audibly.

"What happened?" he asked.  
"The minotaurs and Lygerfangs overwhelmed them...I just barely managed to escape because they told me to run and leave them behind," I explained.

I looked to see that Takashi had a sad look in his eyes.

"May they rest in peace," he whispered.

I had no idea why I was suddenly examining him from head to toe...but I wasn't in the least displeased with what I saw.

He was a very handsome elf with medium length black hair just just about covered most of his eyes. I really liked his golden eyes; it was something I had seen about twice in my life. He looked very fit with a defined body though he wasn't at all muscular. He was dressed in black ranger's armor along with a cloak on his back...which unfortunately got torn in the battle with the minotaurs earlier. Even though I just met him...I felt safe with him. I felt as if I could trust him because he selflessly risked his life to save me from those things.

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked.

I approached him as he closed his eyes.

"I doubt you have much experience with the herbs that grow in this section of the dungeon...but do you know what Duskblossom looks like?" he asked.

I nodded and he smiled.

"If I remember what I mapped out correctly, there should be some growing just outside the cave to the east...if you can gather some of that, I might be able to brew something that will solve this problem at least until we get to Rivira," he said.

I swallowed hard.

"My alchemist's kit is in my bag...pass it to me so I can begin preparing the other herbs," he said.  
"How are you going to do that with one arm?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"I have to...I'm the only one who knows how to make it," he replied.

I rose to my feet.

"How much Duskblossom do we need?" I asked.  
"At least six full flowers...if you can find eight, I can probably brew a stronger version which will last longer,"

I nodded.

"I'll be right back...rest until I return," I said.

His eyes widened for a moment, completely confused with my logic but I smiled at him.

"You saved my life, at least let me do this for you...I'm sure it's not that difficult," I said.

He closed his eyes and smiled.

"I'm not going anywhere,"

* * *

 **One Hour Later- The 18th Floor**

"So...that's what happened then?" asked Akio.

Zekko nodded.

"I don't think anyone else survived besides that elf...I got separated from her so I ended up where you all were," he explained.  
"Speaking of missing elves...where's Takashi?" asked Nana.

Akio shrugged.

"It's unlike him to be late...and Fang came without him so I guess he decided to stay back for something," he suggested.  
"We aren't very far from the town and most of the monsters gather towards the middle of the 17th floor...if that guy is as smart as you say he is, he'd have found shelter to lick his wounds so he can get back on track," said Zekko.

Hanna's eyes narrowed.

"I'm worried about Takashi," said Amie.  
"Likewise," added Mira.

Akio shook his head.

"We're in no condition to have a search party go out for him...we need to get to Rivira and get treated before we're in any position to help him," said Vanna.

He turned to her and nodded.

"Agreed...he's a resourceful guy and there's no way that he'd let himself get caught by those things so let's get going," said Akio.

The party reluctantly began to follow Zekko's lead.

"I really hope he's alright..." said Hanna.

Akio placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Have some faith in him...he **_is_** the best of us after all," he said.

His words seemed to have a slightly uplifting effect on her mood as she walked nearer to him. He looked back towards the entrance to the 18th floor.

 _"You'd better get out of there soon Takashi...that floor's infamous for being merciless to the unprepared,"_

* * *

 **Later That Evening- The Cave**

"How're you feeling?"

Takashi shook his head.

"My body hasn't recovered from using Swift for such a long distance...it put a huge strain on my legs and my arms...I don't think I'll be able to move effectively until that potion takes full effect," he said.

I swallowed hard, scared at the fact that he likely wouldn't be able to move for a while.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

He smiled and pointed to his bag.

"I packed for such an occasion...look in there for a bag of seeds," he said.

I obeyed him and removed the bag.

"Bury them in the dirt and put some water on top," he said.

I did as he asked and buried the four different kinds of seeds. I used my waterskin to apply some water to of each of them. He nodded and closed his eyes as he began to chant softly.

"Grant life...to give the latter to all, Greensprout,"

Much to my surprise, he caused the plants to grow out almost instantly with very good results; a moderately sized bush sprouted from each hole in the ground with a lot of berries on them.

"We can eat those...the berries are excellent," he explained.

I nodded slowly as I handed him a small satchel.

"I brought extra Duskblossom just in case," I said.

He nodded slowly as he pointed to his bag. I opened it.

"Look for a small brown satchel...it contains four bottles, remove the one with the reddish hue," he instructed.

I did as he asked.

"Pour that into the mortar and pestle...then grind the Duskblossom with it," he continued.

I placed the flowers into the mortar as I ground it as best I could.

"The mixture will begin to turn gold when you've properly combined it...once it's done that, pour everything you've ground into one of the empty bottles in the bag and then combine it with water from the stream," he said.

I followed his instructions and much to my surprise, the bottle began to glow slightly. He smiled.

"You found some very healthy blossoms...all it needs now is crushed Elderberries...which we just grew," he said.

His voice began to grow weaker; he was exhausted. I quickly took some berries into my hand and ground them with the mortar and pestle. I then poured it into the bottle, causing it to turn into a more radiant gold.

"Good...now shake it vigorously," he groaned.

I shook the bottle as much as I could until the gold became more uniformed. He smiled.

"That's it...good work Ayame," he groaned.

He leaned off of the wall but collapsed to the floor. I put the bottle down and helped him up.

"This...this is unusual...I never get this tired from using that skill..."

I lay him on my lap and held the bottle up. He opened his mouth slightly and I poured it in. He finished it within seconds and mere moments after he did, he looked a lot more lively than before.

"It should start working in a few minutes...but this potion makes the imbiber very sleepy...it's the reason it's known as the "Healing Trance" potion," he said.

He looked up at me.

"Why did you come here?" he asked.

I looked away.

"Like I said...I was with a party but all of them got killed," I replied.  
"Where are you from?"

I looked down at him.

"The mountains to the north," I replied.  
"As am I...I was born in Sharkath Village," he explained.

I smiled slightly; I was familiar with the village's location and also for their reputation of producing gifted hunters.

"What about you?" he asked.  
"...I don't like talking about my family," I replied.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Bad blood?'  
"...You could say that,"

He nodded slowly.

"My apologies for pressing," he said.

I shook my head.

"It's alright...it's just something I'm not used to talking about," I explained.

He closed his eyes.

"We'll probably have to leave in the morning...we should be safe in here because most of the monsters can't fit through the cave entrance," he said.

I nodded and whistled softly. I smiled as my friend flew through the cave entrance.

"An Orarian Ghostfeather Hawk...he's an incredibly rare breed," he said.  
"His name is Meiryo...he's been my friend since I was a child," I explained.

The Orarian Ghostfeather hawk was a large bird of prey that was known for how intelligent it could be. To an outsider, it was a sight to behold but to me, this bird has taken care of me and saved my life many times during the years we've spent together.

 _"I'm glad you're alright,"_  
 ** _"The same goes for you my little feather,"_**

He gently ran his head against my cheek.

"I can hear his brainwaves...you have the ability to speak to him?" asked Takashi.

I gasped.

"How-"  
"I developed the ability to understand the brainwaves of animals and translate them into my own dialect," he explained.

 ** _"Could this be...the one the gods call the Wolf Tamer?"_** _  
"Is it really him? He's the famous hunter?"_  
 ** _"It would appear so...pleasure to meet you,"_** _  
_ **"Likewise...this potion is going to take effect very soon...might I ask you to keep watch for us?"**

Much to my surprise, Meiryo nodded.

 ** _"You saved my mistress's life...I cannot thank you enough for that,"_** **  
"Think nothing of it,"**

Takashi pointed to the back of the cave.

"There are two bedrolls in that large crevice...I suggest we both get some sleep," he said.

I reached them and spread them out. Takashi leaned off of the wall and collapsed onto one of the rolls.

"We'll leave in about three hours...just need this potion to take effect so I can have full use of my body,"

He turned his back to me.

"You look exhausted as well...get some sleep because we're going to need all the energy we can get if we intend to get out of here," he said.  
"You have a plan?" I asked.

He nodded.

"I mapped out most of the area the last time I was here so I think we can get to the exit if we move quickly enough...but nothing ever goes according to plan so we'd might as well be prepared,"

It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

 _ **"I'll watch over the two of you while you sleep...you look tired,"  
** "I'm just not used to this kindness...I've barely met him yet he risked his life for me,"  
 **"Some people are heroes at heart and the only reason they need to save someone is just to see them in distress,"  
** "I guess it's really been too long since we've actually had friends..."  
 **"You didn't tell him about your past did you?"**_

I shook my head.

 _"I doubt he would really be compelled to help me if he found out who my father is..."_  
 _ **"You should never assume those things...now that the entire party has been killed, you're alone again,"**_

I sighed deeply.

 _"I knew I shouldn't have grown attached to them...it's bad enough that I don't at all like my familia but now...I lost my only friends,"  
_ _ **"You may have just made one right here,"**_

I looked back at Takashi, who was sound asleep.

 _"Maybe you're right...wake me up in two hours,"  
 **"Sweet dreams mistress,"**_

* * *

 **Later That Night- Rivira, The Inn**

"I didn't know it was so pricey to stay here..." sighed Mira.  
"I'd expect no less from a city that's been destroyed numerous times by monsters," replied Akio.

I heard Amie sigh deeply.

"Guess it was a good thing Takashi told me to carry all of the funds that we set aside for a trip like this," she said.  
"How the hell you carry such a huge bag...I'll never know," said Mira.

I snickered.

" **Artel Assist** helps so much," replied Amie.  
"Excuse me?"

We all turned to see a woman at the door.

"You said there was another person coming tonight?" she asked.  
"Yes, Takashi Mashiro is supposed to be on his way here," replied Akio.

She suddenly lit up and squealed.

"Takkun is coming back?! I haven't seen him in months!" she cheered.  
"You...know him?!" asked Hanna.

The woman snickered.

"He's an old friend of mine," she replied.

I examined the woman...and sometimes I really wondered if there was such a thing as a non-voluptuous woman in this place.

She was a female Cat Person, no older than low to mid twenties. She had chocolate hair long enough to reach about her mid back, pinned in a ponytail. Her eyes were blue-gray color with the usual cat-like pupils, though for some reason she wears round, frameless spectacles over them. Her skin was quite pale and she had brown-furred cat ears atop her head with a matching tail. She wore a long, flowing, and seemingly impossibly low-cut dress, and for some reason, was not wearing any shoes, most likely due to her high arches which would make them very uncomfortable. What really stuck out however...was her body type.

She was **extremely** curvy with absolutely **massive** breasts, hovering around an F cup which was quite the opposite from what I usually saw in female Cat People. In addition to a large rear, wide hips, and huge breasts, she also had rather plump thighs. With her apparent dislike of clothing, her breasts also lack much support, leading to a lot of bouncing at even the slightest movement. I could only imagine the difficulty of breathing if she were ever to catch someone in a hug with their face in her chest.

"What's your name?" I asked.  
"Matilda Flynn, but you can call me Mattie," she replied.

I was almost positive that I caught Akio looking at her chest but he looked out the window before I could get a read on his stare.

"Where is Takkun anyway?" she asked.  
"He's on the 17th floor...for some reason he didn't arrive at the exit on time but he said for us to get to the city...especially since we have these two with us," replied Vanna.

She pointed at Hanna and Amie, causing Matilda to smile.

"That sounds like Takkun alright; always looking out for others," she said with a smile.  
"Is that how you met him?" asked Akio.

She nodded.

"He helped get me my job here at the inn because he's friends with the owner," she explained.  
"Is he friends with everyone..." sighed Vanna.

Matilda chuckled loudly.

"When you're a hunter and hides are in high demand, you tend to meet a lot of people I guess," she said with a shrug.  
"I see..." I said.

She looked at me and for some reason, squealed.

"Your ears are so cute!" she said.

I rolled my eyes as she started to play with them.

"Hands off," I snapped.  
"Someone's having a bad day today..." she sighed.

I shook my head.

"Just worried about Takashi," I replied.  
"Should we go and look for him tomorrow if he doesn't come?" asked Hanna.

I nodded.

"Sounds like a good idea...but I'm going to have to get some work done on my whip considering how hard it was to penetrate that minotaur's skin, even with my fire magic," I said.

Akio nodded in agreement.

"Fang can probably find his scent," he said.  
"Let's worry about it tomorrow...right now, we need to focus on recovering from those battles because we had quite a few close calls," said Vanna.  
"Agreed," said Hanna.

Matilda turned back to the door.

"Let me know if there's anything you guys need," she said.

She closed the door behind her.

"It's settled then, we'll head out first thing in the morning to find him...I just hope he's still alive," I said.  
"He'll be fine Nana...he's a big boy," said Mira.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 _"I still can't believe...that all of them are gone..."_

I punched the table.

 _"I was useless...I couldn't save all of them...it's all my fault..."_

"Mr. Asano?"

I turned around to see an elf at the door, who was looking at me in concern.

"Is everything alright? I heard a loud thud," she said.

I closed my eyes and sighed.

"Everything's fine Venia...thanks for asking," I replied.

She entered the room and shut the door behind her.

"You're...still feeling guilty about what happened earlier today?" she asked.

I sighed deeply.

"I'm not taking the loss very well at all...they were my comrades after all," he said.

She approached me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"You did your best...you can't blame yourself for their deaths," she said.

I lowered my head to the table.

"I failed them...I failed my familia and most importantly...I failed to live up to the role I wanted to fill for them all," I said.

Venia hugged me close.

"You're a good man Zekko...I know your heart means well but you have to understand that you can't save everyone every time," she said.

I slowly allowed myself to accept her affection, burying my head in her chest and allowed the tears to fall. She hushed me as best she could, stroking the back of my head and resting her chin on top of my head.

 _"All I can do now is move on...but the pain still remains..."_


	6. Danger

**(A/N): Well. I actually wrote quite a bit in those days I was gone. Still waiting for some more ladies to get into this thing cause I have such a large number of males in this.**

 **This chapter's gonna be a bit shorter than my usual work but eh, I didn't see how the next chapter would've fit.**

 **Please, if you're reading this and you'd like to be a part of it, feel free to throw a submission up. Don't be shy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Danger**

* * *

 **The Following Morning- The Cave**

 _"Ugh...what time is it..."_

I stirred from my slumber, noticing that it was now daytime.

 _"Meiryo didn't wake us up...what's going on..."_

"You're awake,"

I turned around to see Takashi sitting in front of a small campfire.

"I made you some breakfast...no meat unfortunately because I wasn't able to find anything that **didn't** want to kill me," he said with a chuckle.

He removed the pan from the fire and emptied its contents into a plate. I saw that he had toasted several pieces of bread with some kind of yellowish substance spread on the top. He also placed some berries beside it before handing it to me.

"It's not the best breakfast ever...but hopefully it'll hold you till we get to Rivira," he said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"What's that on the bread?" I asked.  
"Cintoberry paste," he replied.

I sniffed it for a moment.

 ** _"It tastes excellent, believe me,"_**

I turned to see Meiryo sitting on top of a rock formation, looking right at me.

 ** _"Even though he's a hunter who's supposed to be only eating whatever he's able to find...he knows how to cook rather well,"_**  
 _"I'll take your word for it,"_

I took a bite of the bread and my eyes widened. Cintoberries were a kind of berry I had only heard of and it was mostly used to make jam or jelly to use in sandwiches but he managed to make a paste using his own two hands. I had to admit, I loved the taste of it...it was a nice mix of sweet and juicy. The berries beside it were also a type I had never seen before; they were an almost sapphire shade of blue.

"What kind of berries are these?" I asked.  
"Nistaberries," he replied.

I took one into my mouth and he smiled.

"It's a unique berry that has about 70% water in it so getting a lot of those can keep you hydrated almost as well as a waterskin," he explained.

It was true; each berry indeed felt like a small burst of delicious water. I looked back at him to see that he indeed had gotten better; he didn't seem exhausted in the least and the fact that we was able to run outside and look around for potential game to hunt meant that he was already in prime condition.

"You're looking at lot better since yesterday," I said.  
"The potion works well...and I guess I also needed a good night's sleep considering I haven't really gotten one of those in a while," he replied.

He looked at the bedroll and laughed nervously.

"Though...the bed could be softer," he chuckled.

I laughed softly as I finished the food and handed the plate to him.

"I'm glad I prepared this cave in advance; it turned out to be life saving after all," he said.

He then put the plates into a bag and before putting the bag back into the large crevice at the back of the cave.

"You ready to get out of here?" he asked.

I nodded with a smile and rose to my feet.

"Stay close," he said.

* * *

 **Meanwhile- Rivira, The Tavern**

"Everyone alright?" asked Matilda.  
"Wouldn't mind another stack of pancakes," replied Zekko.

She smiled at him.

"Gimme a minute," she replied.

I looked towards the bar counter to see that Vanna was still there, talking to some guy that's been there since we got here an hour and a half ago. Hanna and Amie were still at the back, eating with the owner of the tavern who for some reason had taken a liking to them. I didn't have a clue where Mira disappeared to...she said something about still being sleepy so she may have gone back to sleep for all I know. Akio sat with me, still eating the omellete that Matilda cooked for him earlier.

"Are we just about ready to head out?" I asked.

Akio shrugged.

"I doubt it would be a good idea to go without Mira and I guess it's better we wait for her; she didn't get much sleep last night," he replied.  
"Why not?" I asked.  
"Heard her screaming in her room so I guess bad dreams,"

I shook my head.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.  
"About as well as a worried friend can sleep," I replied.

He put a hand on mine.

"We'll find him Nana," he assured.

I sighed deeply.

"I guess when he saved my life and after he helped me with everything concerning that shop I wanted to open...he really rubbed off on me," I said.  
"He's a good friend indeed,"

I rose to my feet.

"I'm going to make sure everything is ready for when we head out," I said.  
"Where are you going?"

I turned to see that Matilda for some reason had appeared behind me.

"We're going to go look for Takashi," I replied.

Matilda shook her head.

"Hanna and Amie aren't in any condition to be going out there right now and considering that the only person in your entire group who can heal is still exhausted, it wouldn't be smart to go out there now," she said.

I sighed deeply.

"I can't leave him out there; he'd never leave any of us behind," I snapped.

Matilda raised a hand in an attempt to calm me down.

"I didn't say you weren't going out there...I'll go with you and Akio," she said.

I looked at her almost in disbelief.

"Are you insane? What're you going to do out there?" I gasped.

Matilda winked at me.

"I'm quite the healer if I do say so myself," she said.

Akio raised an eyebrow.

"Are you really?" he asked.

Matilda gestured us to follow her and once we reached out into the abandoned hallway, she drew her shirt off. Akio immediately turned away and I could see an intense blush build up within his face. I rolled my eyes.

"Not much for modesty are you?" I asked.

Matilda didn't seem to notice my comment. Shrugging her lack of care for clothes aside, I examined the tattoo on her back.

"You are with Apollo's familia?" I asked.  
"Been with that familia for a few years...not really interested in being with them anymore because they take life **way** too seriously for my tastes," she replied.

I examined the tattoo and much to my surprise, Matilda was level 2. She really knew how to hide it all.

"I was a healer for my party back when I used to run with Apollo...but ever since I lost all my armor about four months ago, my party left me behind and never came back," she explained.

I shook my head in disappointment.

"Adventurers who are good at healing others are so hard to come by nowadays...we were lucky that Mira knew a healing spell of any kind," I said.

Matilda replaced her shirt.

"If Takkun's in danger, you can count on me to help find him; I know the entire layout of the 17th floor like the back of my hand," she explained.

I nodded.

"Alright, let's get going; we have no idea if anything happened to him," said Akio.

The blush on his face had all but vanished. Matilda held up a finger.

"Let me get my armor and rod first,"

* * *

 **One Hour Later- The 17th Floor**

"Keep running!"

I panted heavily, trying my best to keep myself from passing out as we continued to flee from the pursuing pair of Lygerfangs. Much to my horror however, I felt a large paw collide with my back.

"Ayame!"

I rolled like ragdoll from the impact of the blow. I heard the whistle of arrows through the air and the loud roar that followed could only mean that Takashi had struck one of our pursuers. He was at my side almost instantly as he picked me up.

"Are you alright?" he asked.  
"Winded...but I'm ok I think," I replied.

He took off at a great speed, much faster than I could ever run and even though he was carrying me, it didn't seem to slow him down at all.

"We'll have to get you some new things once we get to Rivira...that last attack unfortunately cost me my bow as well as the entirety of your bag," he said.

I shook my head.

"There wasn't anything important in that bag anyway," I replied with a nervous laugh.

He smiled at me.

"Glad you're seeing the positive side of this even though it's rather likely that we're going to die," he said.  
"Don't count us out just yet," I said.

I closed my eyes.

"Get into the trees," I said.

Takashi immediately jumped into one of the tall trees and proceeded to bound to each of them as if it were child's play.

"You're...really fast," I said.  
"Years of practice," he replied.

I slowed my breathing, calming my mind so I could chant as clearly as possible.

 **"Heavens above, shed thy tears upon the land and send my enemies to the wind...RAINSTORM!"**

My body suddenly felt drained but thanks to my chant, a tremendous thunderstorm formed above us.

"You...can summon storms?" asked Takashi.  
"It takes a lot out of me because I haven't been able to practice a lot...but yes I can," I replied.

He smiled.

"I should introduce you to my friend Vanna, you two would make quite a team," he said.

He continued to leap through the trees as I called out to Meiryo.

 _"Are they still chasing us?"_  
 _ **"No mistress, they've given up pursuit,"**_

I sighed in relief.

 **"How much further is the exit Meiryo?"**  
 _ **"You're coming up towards it now Wolf Tamer...but it's being guarded by three minotaurs,"**_

"That's not good...I don't have a bow to fight," said Takashi.  
"That rainstorm took a lot out of me...I don't think we can win a fight," I said.

He looked down at me and shook his head.

"I'll just have to use Swift again," he said.  
"Are you insane? When you used it the last time it strained your body so badly that you couldn't move!" I snapped.  
"Better to be strained than dead," he replied.

He closed his eyes and took a breath.

"My body's gonna regret it...but staying here is also just as suicidal so we have no choice," he said.  
"Why are you so nice to me?"

He looked down at me, looking confused.

"You don't know me...yet you saved me and now you're risking your life a second time within the space of a day to save me again?!" I growled.

He stopped jumping and looked at me before closing his eyes.

"When I was a child, my father was murdered in front of my eyes and my mother was taken from me and sold into slavery...I've been told numerous times that I can't blame myself for what happened to them but I'm tired of not being strong enough to help others..."

He took a deep breath.

"I've trained my entire life, pushed my body to its limits and beyond in order to never let a grim fate befall someone else who I can stand to help...so if you really must know Ayame..."

His golden eyes locked onto mine.

"It's because it's who I am,"

His tone was serious but for some reason...it wasn't at all harsh. In fact, it felt almost... **reassuring**.

"If I'm able to help someone through a hard time...or even save their life, I will do everything I can to help even if I don't know them...because my mother always taught me to take care of others and be as great a man as I can be," he continued.

I looked behind me to see the exit in sight, as well as the three minotaurs just as Meiryo said. I felt Takashi's grip loosen slightly.

"Hold on as tight as you can...do not let go for any reason," he instructed.

I braced myself as he softly uttered the name of his skill. In a flash, he began to move at a blinding speed and I had to cling tightly to prevent myself from falling off. I had no idea if my nail were digging into his skin or if my legs locked too tightly around his waist...but it didn't feel like it was enough grip. After a few seconds, we slowed down and appeared on a stone bridge. Takashi collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Takashi turned back to answer me...but then his eyes widened. He gritted his teeth and grabbed me before throwing himself backwards, bringing us both to the ground. I felt a gust of wind go past my head as I realized he had just managed to save my head from being cleaved from my body. He was still panting heavily as he struggled to his feet.

"Keep going...the entrance is just beyond the bridge,"

I started to run but Takashi continued to slow down, still panting heavily. I turned back to help him but he raised his hand.

"Go...I'll buy you some time," he said.  
"Are you insane?!" I cried.

He turned back and drew a dagger from his armor and held it in an offensive position. I shook my head and turned back...only to see a Lygerfang jumping at Takashi. He barely managed to get his dagger between him and the massive cat, stabbing it in the chest and burying the full length of the dagger within it. It cried out in pain and dissolved almost instantly, no doubt due to the dagger piercing all the way to the crystal...

I cheered that Takashi had succeeded in slaying one of the pursuers...but I shuddered in terror as I realized what happened during the course of the struggle. Takashi's right shoulder was severely slashed and was bleeding profusely. His left arm appeared to be in a different place, indicating that he had either dislocated it or broken it entirely. Finally, there was a large paw mark on his chest with each claw leaving a hole in his torso. His mouth began to spew blood as he fell to his knees.

"Takashi!" I screamed.

I ran to his side and looked at the coming monsters: two minotaurs and a Lygerfang. I clenched my fists.

"You...you can't stop them...run Ayame..." he groaned.

As much as I hated to admit it...he was right. There was no way I could conjure a storm powerful enough to blow them all aside...not with the level of stamina I had left. I didn't let that deter me however; if I was going to die, I'd do it fighting.

 **"THROW MY ENEMIES WITH THE TRUE FORCE OF NATURE! WHIRLWIND!"**

The force of the whirlwind was great enough to blow the Lygerfang off of the bridge and a minotaur had to grab onto the ledge to stay up. The remaining minotaur however was seemingly unaffected by the wind. I prepared to launch another wind gust...but I immediately began to feel the whiplash. I fell to my knees, panting heavily.

 _"I...I have to...if I don't..."_

I struggled to my feet, looking at the minotaur that was still running towards me. I opened my mouth to yell the chant...but nothing came out...

 _"No...it can't end like this..."_

I collapsed to my knees. I turned back to see that Takashi had already passed out on the ground.

 _"I...I failed...just as I did...before..."_

My thoughts immediately went to Meiryo, who had likely already made it to Rivira.

 _"...I always knew my road was at an end...it shouldn't be so surprising..."_

My thoughts then went to Takashi.

 _"One night...and he's already the closest friend I've made since Meiryo...and I failed him too..."_

I fell flat to the ground, feeling the remainder of my stamina drain away.

...It all became black...


	7. The Tale Of Aledria

**(A/N):** **Still looking for ladies to join in on the fun! Please! Don't be shy!**

 **I'll be posting the characters I've ironed out very soon; I need to summarize where appropriate as well as ensure everyone's in the right format and such.**

 **Anyway, back to it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Tale Of Aledria**

* * *

 **Later That Afternoon- Rivira, The Inn**

I woke up with a jolt as I looked around frantically as my heart began to race.

 _"...Where am I?"_

"Finally awake?"

I turned around and much to my relief, it was a familiar face. I smiled as I rose from the bed.

"Zekko!"

He approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Good to see you're still breathing beautiful," he said with a wink.

My thoughts immediately drifted to Takashi.

"Where's-"  
"In good hands, don't worry your pretty little head," he said.

I sighed deeply.

"They...were too much for us," I said.  
"You two did great against those things...Akio and Matilda didn't have much work to do when they finally arrived," he continued.

I shook my head.

"...I wasn't strong enough,"  
"And no one expects you to be a hero Ayame...you've got a good heart but you're not a god nor are you a high class sorceress...it," he said.  
"He...risked his life to save me twice," I said.

Zekko nodded.

"Sounds like the _Wolf Tamer_ alright," he said.

He then turned to the right and pointed. I then noticed that Takashi was laying down, his eyes closed and bandages all over him. At his side was what I presumed to be his familia.

"He saved the girl with the whip on her belt according to them and he's the one who helped Hestia get to where she is now," he explained.

I nodded slowly.

"How bad were his wounds?" I asked.  
"I can answer that,"

I looked to my left to see a woman...dressed in rather revealing clothing.

"He got cut up a lot by those Lygerfangs...if Akio and I were even five minutes later, he would've died from sheer blood loss," she explained.

She then let out a deep breath.

"Because of his injuries, he won't be fit for the trip back to Orario for at least a week depending on how quickly his body recovers because there's only so much that magic can do," she continued.  
"But he's going to be alright?' I asked.

She smiled and nodded.

"He's no pushover; Takkun's got willpower like no other person I've ever met," she said.

She then turned to me, examining me from head to toe.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.  
"I'm fine," I replied.

She nodded slowly.

"You were absolutely exhausted; you burned through two elven stamina draughts before you finally awakened," said Zekko.  
"...I guess I got carried away with producing that whirlwind to stop their advance," I replied.

Zekko scratched the back of his head.

"You bought enough time for Nana, Akio and I to get there...that's what matters," replied Matilda.

I looked around frantically, suddenly realizing that Meiryo was nowhere in sight. Matilda smiled.

"Are you looking for that Orarian Ghostfeather? He's in the kitchen eating," she explained.

I sighed in relief as I lay back down.

"We'll have you guys back on your feet in no time," she said.  
"...Thank you,"

I allowed myself to go back to sleep, but not before giving Takashi one last look.

 _"...You have good friends you can depend on...I envy you,"_

* * *

 **Later That Evening- The Tavern**

"Good to see you up again elf boy," I said with a wink.

Takashi rolled his eyes.

"How're you feeling Takashi?" asked Amie.  
"Annoyed that this sling is preventing me from doing much...but otherwise I'm alright," he replied.

I hugged him close.

"Don't ever scare me like that again you little brat...I have enough stress looking out for everyone else and I don't need you dying on me," I snapped.

I released him leaned away, only to see a humble smile.

"I'll do my best Nana, you have my word," he said.

For some reason, whenever he smiled like that...it made me feel all warm inside. Maybe it was because I had gotten accustomed to his kindness, maybe I was beginning to see him like my actual family instead of just a friend or maybe it was because I just turned into a softie. Whatever the reason, it was enough for me to smile back at him.

"Did we get anything?" asked Takashi.  
"Two minotaur horns...didn't get any Lygerfang hide," replied Akio.

Takashi nodded.

"My bow was snapped when we were trying to get out of there so I'm going to have to get a new one if we intend to do any hunting," said Takashi.  
"You're in no condition to even be thinking of doing that," I snapped sternly.

Takashi shook his head.

"I'm not going to be sitting here doing nothing...besides, I can simply brew a potion to repair my broken arm," he said.  
"With one hand? I'd love to see you fail," I replied with a snicker.

Vanna returned with two large mugs. Takashi took one of them and took a sniff before smiling.

"Elven Softbrew...my favorite," he said.

He took a large gulp of the drink.

 **~ o ~**

To say that I was overjoyed to be able to see everyone again was an understatement. After I received those wounds and passed out, I thought I would wake up in the afterlife...only to see Matilda sealing my wounds with her healing magic. I awakened temporarily and barely managed to crack my eye to see Ayame was safe. From that moment, I decided to myself that it was worth the risk...though I really do need to stop thinking in such a linear manner; if Hestia ever found out I did that to save a stranger, she'd probably beat me to a pulp.

Then here I was now...my arm in a sling and bandages covering about 80% of my torso thanks to Matilda...

Speaking of Matilda, I was very lucky that she was still here because if she decided to go back to Orario...it's highly likely that I wouldn't be alive right now. I never would've thought that helping her out a few months ago would end up being one of the reasons I'm still alive...

 **...**

 _ **Four Months Ago- Just Outside Of Rivira**_

 _"Good hunting today,"  
 **"Indeed, we got a lot of mapping done around floor 17 and we even managed to get some drop items to sell,"**  
"This'll help a lot with the saving...because it would be good to take Akio and Vanna here; they can learn about this place,"  
 **"Agreed,"**  
_

 _Fang suddenly stopped, looking towards the rest._

 _"What's going on?" I asked.  
 **"I heard screams,"**  
_

 _I jumped onto her back._

 _"Let's check it out,"_

 _She carried me as quickly as her legs could go until we happened upon a woman...being chased by a pair of killer ants. Upon closer examination, the woman's armor was in such terrible condition that she was practically naked. She was... **incredibly** voluptuous and judging from her ears, she was a Cat person. I removed my bow and jumped off of Fang to reach a cluster of trees._

 ** _"Get her out of here, I'll distract one of_ them,"  
"Be careful Fang...you know what happens when they bite you,"  
 _"I'll be careful...now go,"_  
**

 _I saw no reason to not trust her; she's never let me down in the past. She sprinted off and managed to catch one of the ants off guard. I then aimed carefully before letting loose an arrow, hitting the one approaching the woman right at the base of the antennae. The arrow managed to clip the entire appendage off, sending it into a mad and random frenzy. It knew it was only a matter of time before the ant learned to adapt to a single antennae so I took my chance, darting over to her before picking her up into my arms._

 **"Need to work on my strength at some point..."**

 _I sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me and managed to get into a tree as I examined her wound. Much to my horror, it was an ant bite._

 **"I've never tested an elven brew on a Cat person before...time to find out if it will work,"**

 _I removed a bottle of Elven Purge from my bag and held it to her lips._

 _"Drink this or the venom will kill you," I said._

 _She managed to get it all down and much to my delight, the wound sealed itself shut. She slowly opened her eyes but flinched at the sight of me._

 _"Who're you?" she asked.  
"Takashi Mashiro...what are you doing out here on your own?" I asked._

 _She shook her head._

 _"Well...fortune doesn't exactly favor me..."_

* * *

 **Present Time, Later That Afternoon- Rivira Springs**

"Ahh...this was definitely worth the wait...and after a good day of the dungeon too?" said Nana.

Hanna snickered softly.

"Who would've thought a place this nice is all the way down here in this hellhole of a tower," said Matilda.

I looked away, losing interest in the entirety of their conversation. I looked at Meiryo, who was in a tree looking down at me.

 _ **"Feeling better mistress?"**  
_ _"Far better...though I'm not sure what would be next for us,"  
 **"We should start with you getting back to your usual self...though Zekko did indeed survive the ambush, we no longer have any of our friends...we're essentially alone,"**  
_ _"...It looks like I'll never find the one who killed my family,"_  
 _ **"Never say never...you've at least made friends in all of them,"**_

"Ayame!"

I snapped from my thoughts to see that Matilda had appeared in front of me.

"Why're you all the way over here?" she asked.

It was incredibly difficult to keep my eyes away from her absolutely massive bosom.

"I usually keep to myself," I replied.  
"Why's that? A lot on your mind?" she asked.

I turned away from her, suddenly feeling self-conscious of myself in comparison to her. She seemed to notice my thoughts and for some reason, grabbed me in a hug.

"Come now don't be shy! We're all girls here!" she said in a sing song voice.

I shook my head and growled.

"Are you thinking about Takkun?"

I opened my mouth to answer but once I tried, nothing but air came out of my mouth. In a flash, she had just caught me completely off guard.

"Worried about him?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"He saved me...twice," I said.

Matilda nodded.

"He doesn't seem like it from afar but he's one of the kindest people you will ever meet...it's because of him that I'm still alive and it's also because of him that I'm able to work here in Rivira...

I put a hand to my chin.

"Why is he so selfless?" I asked.

Matilda's face changed from happy to somewhat melancholy.

"It's because of what happened in his childhood...his father was killed and his mother was taken and sold into slavery," replied Matilda.  
"...How do you know that?" I asked.

Matilda shook her head.

"I spent a month with him and really got to know him...all jokes and mishaps aside, he has a lot on his mind everyday and it astonishes me as to how he can still find it within himself to help every adventurer that he can," she said.

She then looked at me.

"It's his life's mission to find his mother and bring the ones who killed his family to justice, that's why he trains so much and it's part of the reason why he goes out of his way to save everyone he can; he wants to get stronger to be able to save her," she continued.

I sighed softly.

"I had no idea that the _Wolf Tamer_ was such a humble person; everything I heard about him made him seem like a silent anti-hero," I said.

Matilda smiled.

"I have to admit...he's very handsome and he's probably the closest friend I have right now...if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here right now,"

She then put a hand on my shoulder.

"In all the time I've known him, I've never seen him go so far for someone before; every time he saves someone it's like it was a walk in the park but he literally knocked on death's door for your sake...so he must've seen something in you," she said.  
"Is it because I'm an elf like he is?" I asked.

She shrugged.

"Maybe it's because you can speak to that hawk of yours or maybe it's because he just finds you interesting...whatever the reason, you can count on him to help you with anything you need done, no matter how small or big it is,"

I sighed deeply.

"Well...most of my belongings were lost in the dungeon so I'm going to have to get myself back on my feet," I said.

Matilda snickered.

"Takkun does so much work and has so many friends that it shouldn't be any trouble to work something out for you,"

She then hugged me.

"You can count on his familia...I know that you are a part of Ares's family from looking at your tattoo but honestly, a war machine of a nation isn't what you need right now,"

She turned to look at the others.

"I've known these people for barely a day and I can already already tell you that they're friends worth keeping,"

I nodded slowly.

"They are all of Hestia's familia?" I asked.

Matilda nodded.

"I'll...keep that in mind,"

* * *

 **Later That Evening- The Tavern**

"I'd like to thank everyone for being here tonight...and after everything we've gone through these past few weeks, I think it's safe to say that we've become somewhat of a family," said Nana.

I nodded in agreement as she looked to each of us.

"For some of us, we've been family for years and for others, merely days but it doesn't take away from the fact that we are all in this together," she continued.

She raised her mug.

"We all know what's at stake whenever we decide to step foot in that dungeon and now more than ever, unity is necessary to take on the challenges ahead and I'm glad that all of us are here right now because I wouldn't trust my life to any other person because all of you have proven to be the absolute best of the best," she said.

A small round of cheers and applause followed her words as she looked to Matilda.

"I'd like to personally thank our new friend here for saving the life of one our own...without her, I doubt that he would still be breathing right now," she said.

Matilda smiled and shook her head.

"After all he's done for me, this was the least I could do," she said humbly.

I looked around...but saw no sign of Takashi anywhere.

"Takishi Mashiro is the man of the hour here...but he's unfortunately still recovering from those injuries..."

She took a deep breath.

"I don't think I've felt so worried about anyone in my entire life because he isn't just a member of my familia...he saved my life and he's not just my ally...he's also my friend,"

A collective cheer indicated that everyone agreed with her.

"Our mission is simple; get a good haul and head back home to our goddess who is waiting ever so patiently for our safe return,"  
"Then you're in luck,"

Everyone turned to a man who was leaning against the doorframe.

"The 17th floor boss has been spotted, seen heading towards the middle of the area,"

Nana raised an eyebrow.

"Who're you?" she asked.  
"A man who's interested in making a profit," he replied.

He then looked to Zekko and then to me.

"You two are the only two survivors from that ragtag group of losers from before eh?"

My fists automatically clenched but before I could do anything, the man fell to the ground. Just behind him, was Takashi.

"Get out of here Markos, no one's interested in your scams," he snapped.

The man got up and looked at Takashi with venom in his eyes.

"Get out of here and don't come back," said Takashi.

The man got up and walked out of the tavern as Takashi entered the room.

"He's a scavenger who likes to lure people into unwinnable battles and then take all their loot himself...but he's not lying when he said a floor boss was spotted,"

He looked at his arm.

"My arm will likely be healed by tomorrow if I rest but there's the matter of getting gear for everyone," he said.  
"Yeah...this place isn't exactly cheap," sighed Akio.

Takashi smiled.

"Which is why I called in a few favors,"

As if on cue, three people entered the room. The first was a man, no older than 30 who was wearing a blacksmith's apron.

"The large man's name is Jethro, he's the lead blacksmith around here and the one you go to when you need quality armor and weapons made," he explained.

He then looked to the second person, who was an elf woman wearing a dark brown dress, as well as an apron.

"This is Irina, she's the one who takes care of all things Ranger so if you need leather armor, bows or arrows? She's the woman for the job," he continued.

Irina then grabbed Takashi by the head and rubbed her first into his hair.

"This little brat's done so much for me that I couldn't help but say yes to his request," she said.

The third person then stepped up.

"My name is Aaru, I'm the one you come to if you need any sort of materials; I have friends who gather many things in their travels," he said.

Takashi broke free of Irina's grip and cleared his throat.

"Everyone get your gear sorted out; we're leaving bright and early in the morning," he said.

 **...**

 **Takashi's Room**

"I'll get to work on that bow right now," said Irina.  
"I appreciate it," I replied.

She handed the potion we just managed to brew to repair my arm.

"Thanks for the help," I said.  
"You're welcome...now get some rest; there's no way your familia will be able to take that thing down without you at your best," she said.

She left the room as I let out a sigh.

 _"Never imagined myself on the sidelines..."  
 **"As Nana so rightfully put it, you're not invincible,"**_

I laughed softly as Fang rubbed her head against my ribs.

 _ **"I was worried for you...but I trusted you to take care of yourself on your own,"**  
_ _"That must've been difficult...I'm sorry for forcing you to do that,"_  
 _ **"Your friends were just as worried as I was,"**_

I looked at my broken arm before swallowing the potion in one go. I could immediately begin to feel the effects; the pain that surged from my arm throughout the whole day was disappearing quickly. I could feel the bones mending themselves and within minutes, my arm felt as good as new. I removed it from the sling around my neck and examined it.

 _"Good thing Irina had some extra herbs to spare..."_

A knock on the door broke me from my concentration. I opened it...to see Ayame.

"Do you have a moment?" she asked.

I nodded and stepped out of the way to allow her to come inside.

 **~ o ~**

I let out a deep breath as I took a seat in a chair. He sat on the bed, stretching his arm out.

"You've already made the potion?" I asked.  
"Worked as well as I hoped it would," he replied.

I nodded slowly as I looked at Fang, who seemed curious as to the reason I came in here.

"I wanted to ask you something...if you'll answer," I said.  
"Depends on what the question is," he replied.

I pulled the necklace from under my dress and held it up for him to see.

"This is all I have left of my family," I said.

Much to my surprise, Takashi brandished a pocket watch as well as a necklace of his own.

"The necklace was made by my mother and the pocket watch belonged to my father...so I suppose we share that in common," he said.

I nodded.

"I...haven't been completely honest with you," I began.

I put my hands together.

"Neither have I,"

I looked at him to see that he had removed the necklace and was holding it out to me.

"My mother is all I have left in this world...I have no idea if she's alive or not but I know that until I get stronger, there's no way that I stand a chance of finding out, let alone save her," he said.

I took the necklace and examined it. It was a teardrop made out of a sapphire.

"She used sapphire because it's my birthstone...in my family, the 14th birthday is an important day for any male elf because it signified their true coming of age...it's the day when we are recognized as hunters,"

He sighed deeply.

"My mother taught me everything I know because she was a strong adventurer...but I never got the chance to be given a Falna until the day I met Hestia all those years ago,"

He looked at me.

"You've had a past similar to mine...it's the reason why you are here on your own aren't you?"

I sighed softly.

"To tell you this...I'll have to go back to that day ten years ago..."

* * *

 _ **Ten Years Ago- The Aledria Household**_

 _"Is everything in order for the journey tomorrow?"  
"It has been done according to your specifications, rest assured it will be done,"_

 _I watched as my father put a hand on his servant's shoulder._

 _"You've done well...it won't be long until we're swimming with riches," he said._

 _I felt sick to my stomach as I turned to my mother, who was still tinkering with the necklace in her hands._

 _"Mother...why do you look so scared?" I asked._

 _She looked at me, smiling as tears ran down her cheeks._

 _"The day I have long since seen coming is finally here...and you need to leave my child," she replied._

 _I looked at her in disbelief._

 _"Leave? What do you mean?" I asked._

 _She closed her eyes as she put the necklace around my neck before handing me a book._

 _"You've learned a great deal of magic since you starting practicing...now is the time for you to learn your next spell, this is the last grimoire in my possession and I want you to use it," she said._

 _I swallowed hard as I opened it and looked into it._

 _"Grant me the power to create life...as well as to protect it," I said._

 _I felt the knowledge surge into me as I looked to my mother who was smiling at me._

 _"You've become so strong Ayame...I'm so proud of you..."_

 _She then looked to the window._

 _"You have to leave, right now before our fate befalls us," she said.  
"But-"_

 _She hugged me close to her._

 ** _"Gently grant safe passage from the heavens to the earth...Featherfall,"_**

 _Much to my astonishment, my mother picked me up and then shoved me out of the open window. I thought I was going to fall to my death...until I floated down and landed gently._

 _I looked behind me...to see my mother was right; a large carriage was approaching._

* * *

 **Present Time**

"Your father...was Halor Aledria?" asked Takashi.

I nodded slowly.

"He was involved with smuggling and slave trading for a long time...I didn't come to understand what he was doing until it was too late...my house was burned to the ground but that doesn't change the fact that my father did things that are unspeakable," I growled.

I felt tears come to my eyes.

"My mother was an amazing woman...she took care of me whenever he was out doing the horrible things he does and she raised me to be a mage...I fully intend on bringing those slave traders to justice," I said.

Takashi suddenly approached me and looked at me with a very serious stare.

"The path of revenge is not something you want to walk down...if you're bringing them to justice, do it to prevent any other person from suffering the same fate as our parents," he said.

He closed his eyes.

"For a very long time, I wanted to take revenge for my father's death and for all the awful things they've likely done with my mother...but I realized that revenge does nothing but darken one's judgement and sends them on a path of destruction from which there is no turning back,'

He took one of my hands in his.

"When you hear anything, or if I hear anything about these traders...we'll bring them in, together," he said.

Half of my wanted to wrench my hand from his grasp but for some reason, I believed him. He had no reason to lie to me like all the others I've met...he's done nothing but take care of me since he met me and he risked his life more than once to keep me safe. Even now, when I was fuming with rage from the memories of the past...I still couldn't help but feel comforted by his mere presence; it was as if I was with a kindred spirit. I felt tears come to my eyes as he moved closer to me.

"You haven't spoken about this with anyone have you?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"You've kept all this pain inside of you for long enough...no one should have to suffer like that," he continued.

He held my hand gently.

"I won't tell a soul what you've said...you have my word,"

I threw myself into his arms and cried into his chest. He slowly placed a hand on the back of my head, stroking it gently. I cried for my mother and I cried for being the daughter of someone whose caused so much pain.

I cried for all the loneliness, pain, malice and sadness I've suffered without flinching until now...

Now, I felt safe.


	8. Revelation

**(A/N): Almost done rounding up the roster to be updated on the main chapter at the start of the story. Glad you guys are enjoying it all and please, do continue to give in your submissions. My resident DanMachi expert and I are having loads of fun reviewing them all and please don't be worried if you haven't appeared yet; you will in due time.**

 **Also, I didn't realize the poll was undone. It should be up as of now.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Revelation**

* * *

 **The Following Morning- Rivira**

"Is everyone ready to go?" I asked.  
"Just about," replied Vanna.

I released the bar, landing on my feet as I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

"Good...now all we need to do is plan our strategy," I replied.  
"Akio...I'm not sure that there is one,"

I raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"  
"Takashi and Ayame already went ahead to scout the area and they sent Meiryo back with a message detailing everything," she said.

I replaced my shirt and fastened my belt to my waist.

"What did the message say?" I asked.  
"The boss is a Goliath...and it's being followed by at least three Lygerfangs as well as Minotaurs and for some reason, about ten Killer Ants have come to the surface and pose a serious threat," she replied.

I nodded slowly as I strapped my armor to my body securely.

"Then we'll have to deal with each threat as it comes," I said.  
"...How can you be so calm about this?" asked Vanna.  
"Because I believe that if we all work together, we can get this done," I replied.

She smiled slightly.

"I suppose you're right; we do have extra help this time," she said.  
"If we defeat that boss today, we can go back home with enough of a haul to finally build the home we've dreamed of and more importantly, for Hestia," I said.  
"I heard that Matilda and Ayame are coming back with us?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Matilda's been toying with the idea of converting to Hestia's family because she's apparently tired of Apollo's while Ayame I believe no longer has a reason to be associated with Ares...so she may convert as well," I replied.  
"Our family has grown so large...it's hard to believe that not long ago, it was just you, Takashi and I," said Vanna.

I put a hand on her shoulder.

"The most important thing to me is taking care of my goddess right now and she's always dreamed of having a family...we've given her that dream and then some,"

I sheathed both my daggers as I handed Vanna her bow.

"Let's get this done and go home,"

* * *

 **The 17th Floor- The Entrance from Rivira**

"Good, everyone's here now," I said.

I saw Takashi jump down from a tree as Fang walked forward with Ayame riding on her back.

"Any news?" asked Nana.  
"The Golaith appears to be in the middle, near a large stream and is for some reason patrolling there," replied Takashi.  
"Takashi and I managed to take care of most of the ants before you all arrived by three more Lygerfangs have joined the boss so now it's even more dangerous to get too close," said Ayame.

I cursed under my breath.

"We'll have to be very careful; especially since we only really have one person who can take a hit," said Mira.

Zekko stepped forward, his mace and shield on his back showing that he was the one they spoke of.

"I've fought minotaurs and Lygerfangs before but I don't know how well I'll be able to fight a group of them," he said.  
"There is no I in this," replied Hanna.

Zekko closed his eyes and smiled.

"You guys really take this teamwork thing seriously don't you?" he asked.  
"It's one of the virtues Hestia taught us...and all of us are friends and look out for one another and this time will be no different," replied Amie.

Takashi turned around as did Fang.

"Minotaurs are coming," he said.

I turned to Ayame.

"You and Vanna stay together on top of Fang; I have an idea for the two of you," I said.

Vanna nodded and climbed on top of Fang.

"Takashi, I'm gonna need you to keep the two of them safe," I said looking to Takashi.

He nodded confidently.

"Leave it to me," he said.

I then turned to Nana and Mira.

"You two are going to have to open up on them along with Zekko but don't get too worked up; this is a much larger group than before," I said.

Matilda stepped forward.

"I'll stay with them and make sure they're all accounted for," she said.

I nodded firmly as I turned to Hanna and Amie.

"You two come with me and stay close," I said.  
"Yes sir!" they replied.

I took a deep breath as I looked to the ground.

 _"Now is the time we prove ourselves...now is the time...that we stand united,"_

"Let's do it!" I said.  
"Yes sir!"

* * *

 **Several Minutes Later**

"Minotaurs ahead," said Takashi.  
"Remember the plan...we can't afford to get the Goliath's attention until we deal with all the lackeys," said Zekko.

He brandished his shield and mace as he ran forward.

"HEY COWFACES! OVER HERE!" he shouted.

Three minotaurs turned their attention from the forest to him as they roared loudly.

"Get ready you two," said Akio.

Vanna nodded as well as Ayame. The minotaurs charged forward, each holding a large two handed axe as they continued to run at him.

"NOW!" shouted Akio.

 **"Heavens above, shed thy tears and send my enemies to the wind...RAINSTORM!"**

A violent storm started to rain down on the battlefield. Vanna clenched her fist.

 **"Water become my weapon, rain become my blades...FREEZE!"**

The heavy downpour of rain suddenly turned into a relentless hail of icicles. Ayame focused as much as she could to isolate the rain on the minotaurs as they were pelted over and over with razor sharp ice.

"You're up Hanna," said Akio.

She unsheathed her daggers and watched carefully for an opening.

"Takashi, you know what to do," said Akio.

He loaded an arrow into his bow and aimed carefully. Hanna approached him and placed a hand on the tip of the arrowhead.

"Stop the freezing," said Akio.

Vanna released the spell, causing the rain to become regular water again but the damage had been dealt according to plan; the minotaurs were barely able to move due to their now sliced up bodies as well as the ice that formed around them making it almost impossible for them to move.

" **NOW!** " shouted Akio.

 **"Power of electricity...wrath of lightning, rend my enemies asunder! CONDUCTION!"**

Hanna heavily charged the tip of Takashi's metal arrowhead with electricity, so much so that it crackled violently. Takashi then released the arrow and managed to hit one of the minotaurs, which spread the intense current to all three due to the water from the rainstorm. All three minotaurs roared in agony as the huge electrical current ran through them.

"Let's go everyone!" shouted Akio.

Fang immediately took off into a sprint followed by Hanna.

"Takashi, keep the Lygerfangs off of them; they're bound to be coming now that they heard all of that," said Akio.

Takashi nodded as he closed his eyes. Once he reopened them, he vanished almost instantly. Akio swallowed some air.

"Ready for this?"

Mira and Nana nodded as they brandished their weapons.

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Mira.  
"I have no intention of being the damsel in distress this time so let's do this," said Nana.

Akio clenched his fists.

"Stick to the plan and we'll come out on top,"

* * *

 **Minutes Later**

 _"Any sign of the Goliath Meiryo?"  
 **"It's heading this way,"**  
_

I cursed under my breath.

"We didn't expect it to be coming so quickly...Nana and the others haven't finished off the Lygerfangs," I said.  
"We'll have to improvise," said Zekko.

He raised his shield as Matilda finished her healing spell.

"Back to fighting condition!" she said with a smile.

Zekko smiled and nodded.

"Glad you're here with us," he said.

Matilda grinned from ear to ear.

"Where's Takkun? He was supposed to be here by now,"  
"Strange...it's not like him to be late,"

I nodded in agreement.

 _"Any sign of Takashi?"  
 **"He's...not moving, I think he's with someone,"  
** "Did something happen?"  
 **"Oh my...it's Fang, she's been wounded,"**_

I gasped audibly.

"What's wrong Ayame?" asked Matilda.  
"Fang...she's down," I replied.

Matilda nodded.

"Have Meiryo guide me to her, I'll make sure she's alright," she said.

Meiryo flew down low as he guided Matilda through the trees. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew forward as Hanna arrived.

"Nana, Amie and Mira are right behind me, Vanna and Akio went ahead to scout just as planned," she said.  
"Good, that means everything's on schedule apart from Fang's injury," said Zekko.  
"...It was my fault," said Hanna.

Zekko put a hand on her shoulder.

"Now's not the time to worry about that; Matilda will get her back on her feet in no time but right now...we have to focus on the task at hand," he said.

Hanna slowly nodded and took a breath. Moments later, a bolt of ice flew above the trees.

"That's the signal; the Goliath is close,"

Zekko turned to all of us.

"You all know what you have to do," he said.

Hanna's face seemed to drain of color.

"You're...going to fight that thing on your own?" she asked.  
"I won't be alone; I have all of you with me...just follow the plan and we'll win this thing,"

Zekko brandished his weapons and rose to his feet.

"I'll keep it busy for as long as I can; Takashi's integral in the plan and we need to buy him some time to catch up," he said.

He fearlessly ran forward.

 **~ o ~**

This was suicide. I had to be on a whole new level of insane to be doing something like this...but I knew that I was the only one who stood a chance at fighting that thing one on one. No one in the party had the strength or endurance to trade blows with it...so I knew it had to fall to me. I had faith in all of them; Ayame is a powerful mage, Takashi is a very well known ranger, Vanna has proven herself to be an excellent archer as well as clever in the use of her ice spells, Mira was an excellent fighter with that scythe of hers and Nana was a master of her whip along with that aptitude for all things that burn.

Akio came up with most of the plan and even Amie, who didn't have a lot to offer to us...promised to be there for us. These people are ones I've grown to trust and if Ayame believes in them, I see no reason why I shouldn't either. I finally made my way out of the trees as I stared my enemy down.

 _"Holy shit this bastard is big..."_

This monster stood at least 7 meters tall and had gray skin. It's face resembled that of an ogre and it had large horns jutting from the top of it's head. Finally, it held a huge axe and to say the least...it looked absolutely furious. It saw me and roared loudly. I swallowed hard as I held my shield up.

 _"Here goes..."_

I charged forward, clearing the distance between us as I slammed my mace into its leg. Much to my surprise however, it didn't seem to feel the blow. It swung it's massive axe at me, forcing me to duck and roll under it. I continued to try and strike its leg but it continued to ignore my efforts. I leaped backwards as it slammed the axe into the ground, sending a tremendous shockwave in my direction. I stumbled to the ground, dropping my mace as the monster prepared to swing again.

 **"ENSNARE AND CONSTRICT! GREENSPROUT!"**

Huge vines jutted from the ground and grabbed onto the Goliath arms.

" **FLAMES OF DESTRUCTION! REDUCE MY ENEMIES TO ASH!** **CIRCLE OF FLAME!** "

The Goliath was surrounded by a large ring of fire that quickly became a blazing inferno, setting its right leg ablaze. Nana continued forward as Vanna and Matilda reached my side.

"You okay?" asked Matilda.

I nodded and got to my feet.

"You got us the opening we needed to unload on this son of a bitch," said Matilda.

Vanna held her hand up.

" **POWER OF ICE! UNLEASH THY FROZEN WRATH!** **ICEBOLT!** "

She began to fire bolt after bolt of ice, striking the Goliath in the torso. I watched as Takashi began to rapidly fire arrows, not missing a single one of them as they each connected to the leg that was not ablaze. The Goliath fell to its knees as I noticed the sky suddenly turning darker.

 **"BLADES! RAIN DOWN"**

A relentless swarm of daggers fired forth, sinking quickly into the Goliath's torso. Nana then began to assault the monster, striking it repeatedly all over the torso with such speed, it set it ablaze.

"NOW HANNA!" shouted Nana.

I saw her run right past everyone as she grabbed onto the her daggers and charged them with electricity. This current was intense; the daggers were crackling violently with energy as she then threw them both into the Goliath's chest.

" **GO MIRA! BEFORE IT CAN REGENERATE!** " shouted Akio.

I turned to see Mira smiling. Her scythe once again began to glow with shadow energy as she ran forward with a hand extended.

" **CORRUPT, DECAY AND REALIZE YOUR INEVITABLE DOOM! SHADOWBOLT!** "

She fired bolt after bolt of shadow energy that struck the Goliath's head repeatedly. Once she was in range, I noticed that Takashi was chanting.

 **"GREENSPROUT!"** he yelled.

A large tree root jutted from the ground and under Mira's, giving her a boost as she leaped high into the air. She grabbed her scythe from her back and readied it to swing. A lightning bolt suddenly struck the Goliath, indicating that Ayame must've manipulated the storm to do so. Every single dagger in its torso lit up with electricity and I couldn't imagine how many volts of current was currently running through its body. Mira landed a devastating slash across its chest and as soon as she landed, she turned around and slashed its leg several times until it fell to its knees. I knew that Mira had the power to stop regeneration; it was one of her most useful skills and the Goliath was well known as one of the monsters that abused its ability to heal itself. Mira slashed the leg so viciously, she actually lopped it clean off, spraying blood all over the place as the Goliath fell to the floor.

 **"THE CRYSTAL IS IN ITS CHEST! FINISH IT NOW!"** shouted Mira.

I nodded as I picked up my mace and leaped onto its back. I began to viciously strike its back, looking for the crystal beneath its hide. The flames had softened the skin of the Goliath as I noticed that I was breaking through it a lot more easily with my blows than when this battle first begun. Finally, I saw a glint of the crystal. I motioned for Hanna to get on top of the body and she quickly joined me, easily bounding over Nana's flaming circle. She raised her daggers and once again, charged them with electricity with her previous chant before stabbing it hard. The Goliath suddenly became motionless and within seconds, it disappeared in a puff of black smoke. The crystal shattered into three pieces and three drop items suddenly appeared: one of its horns, one of its claws and finally, one of its teeth. I sighed in relief as everyone began to cheer.

We had done it...we had slain the boss of the 17th floor.

* * *

 **Later That Evening- The Hostess Of Fertility, Orario**

"You...you all actually managed to..." gasped Hestia.

Akio smiled at her and nodded excitedly.

"Yes...we did," he said.

Hestia began to shed tears of joy as she looked at her familia, who had gathered around the table she was sitting at.

"I'm...so proud of you, all of you," she said.  
"We couldn't have done it without these three," said Nana.

She pointed to Ayame, Zekko and Matilda, who were sitting at the opposite end of the table. Hestia once again, grinned from ear to ear.

"I heard you were still in Rivira Mattie...I didn't think you would've been there and I have to thank you for saving Takashi's life," she said.

Matilda grinned and grabbed Takashi in a bosom filled bearhug.

"I would never let Takkun die! Not when he's done so much for me!" she replied.

Takashi rolled his eyes and sighed. Hestia then looked at Zekko and Ayame.

"So I take it that you two are going back to your familias?" she asked.  
"Actually...I was hoping you would allow me to convert to yours," said Zekko.

Hestia raised an eyebrow.

"You'd want to leave your current familia?"  
"Ayame and I are in the same boat; our familia didn't send any kind of help back for us when our party got slaughtered by those monsters and honestly...Ares's familia isn't all it's cracked up to be," replied Zekko.

Ayame nodded slowly in agreement. Matilda released Takashi and adjusted her glasses.

"I want to convert as well because Apollo's familia is fucking boring," she snapped.

Hestia laughed softly.

"I didn't think the familia would grow so quickly," she said.  
"Did any others join?" asked Takashi.

Hestia nodded before looking back and waving. Much to everyone's surprise, a beautiful woman approached the table as well as a man who donned heavy plate armor.

"These two converted from Demeter's familia, saying that they wanted to become adventurers instead of simple farmers," she explained.

Vanna raised an eyebrow.

"That man doesn't look like much of a farmer and she looked like she could blow up the entire building with a single spell," she said.

Hestia shook her head.

"Demeter asked me to take them into the familia; she knew that their place was no longer with her," she explained.

Takashi nodded as he turned to the exit.

"I'll have a word with the administration about our new home," he said.

He left the tavern with Fang in tow.

"So? Introduce yourselves then?" said Mira.

The woman blushed lightly as she looked to everyone.

"My name is Relia Lapis," she said.

Akio couldn't help but stare at her and even Zekko couldn't deny that she really was quite the looker. She had long golden hair that was tied in a ponytail and emerald eyes. She too was an elf, standing at 5' 7" and didn't appear to be more than about 100lbs. She had quite the body, though not quite as curvy and busty as Matilda who continued to hold the record for both. On her back was a staff with a crescent moon at the tip of it. She was covered with crimson mage robes, indicating her focus on the magical arts as an adventurer.

"Welcome to the family," said Nana with a wink.

The man then stepped up.

"My name is Archon Oe," he said.

He was practically the polar opposite of Relia. Standing at 5' 9" and having quite a muscular build. He donned heavy plate armor and had a rather ornate looking longsword as well as a shield on his back. He was a human male, with a skin tone just a few shades short of tan and had short spiky hair.

"Good to have you on board with us Archon," said Akio.

He smiled and bowed respectfully. Hestia then turned to the Ayame and held out a hand.

"Do you want to convert as well?" she asked.

Ayame's eyes narrowed as she shyly approached her before taking her hand.

"Yes," she replied.

* * *

 **Later That Night- Hestia's Church**

"What did administration say?" asked Nana.  
"They said we can move in tomorrow; I paid off the last of the Valis that we need to acquire the house," I replied.

Nana smiled and grabbed me in a headlock.

"You're such a good boy Takashi," she teased.

I sighed as I broke free of her grasp.

"It's like everyone likes to grab hold of me...why can't you all grab Zekko or Akio instead?" I asked.  
"Because you're a lot more fun to tease," said Nana with a wink.

I shook my head as I turned back to my desk.

"Did everyone settle in well?" I asked.  
"Conversions were all done before you came back and we already worked out who's gonna sleep where," replied Nana.

I nodded slowly as I let out a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" she asked.  
"Just exhausted after everything we've been through," I replied.

She placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You've earned a break...you almost died and you still ended up saving a lot of us," she said.

I nodded as I rose from my desk.

"I guess the work can wait till morning," he said.

Nana laughed softly.

"You work way too hard for your own good sometimes,"  
"...Guess I could use some time to myself,"

I doused the lantern light as I walked over to my bed and sat on it, giving Fang a pat on the head.

"Tomorrow, I was hoping we could talk more about that idea I had," said Nana.  
"You mean the shop we were planning to open?" I asked.

She nodded with a smile.

"I initially just wanted to have a source of income to support everyone which would allow us to not have to go into the dungeon as often...but now I think I want to erect it in Hestia's honor," she said.

I nodded slowly.

"We'll go see the administration tomorrow about it...and there's the matter of getting the rest of the funding to actually get it built," I said.  
"Yeah...that's true; I don't know exactly how much it's going to take but I really want to do this," she said.

I nodded.

"We'll see to it...now let me sleep," I said rolling my eyes.

Nana snickered.

"So you can dream about Ayame?" she teased.

I shook my head.

"She's a friend and nothing more," I replied.  
"You and I both know that isn't true; I can read you like a book Mr. Lone Wolf," she said.

I pushed her out of my room and closed the door before letting out a deep breath.

 _"I don't have time for feelings..."_

Fang suddenly raised her head.

 **"Master...I think I just picked up a scent,"**  
"What kind of scent?"  
 **"...It smells like your mother,"**

My eyes widened.

 _"Can you follow it?"  
_ **"It's faint...but I can follow it,"**

I put my bow onto my back and drew my cloak over my head as well as my mask over my mouth.

 _"Lead the way,"_

 **...**

"How soon until the slaves arrive to the stronghold?"  
"They left out around thirteen hours ago so I would say they should've arrived by now,"

The two men continued to the inn.

"How many were there?"  
"About twenty of them, about half of them are elf women,"

One of the men smiled.

"Elves are so popular with our clients...they pay a lot of money to have them in their household,"  
"Probably because they're typically so beautiful,"  
"Sexy, don't forget sexy,"

The sound of wood creaking alerted the men as they looked around nervously.

"What the hell was that..."  
"We'd better get back to the inn quickly,"

A hooded figure suddenly appeared as they turned back around.

"Who the fuck's this guy?"  
"Who cares...kill him,"

The man on the left was met with an arrow to his leg, causing him to scream in pain. The figure moved at great speed and swiftly landed a punch to the screaming man, silencing him and knocking him out cold. The figure then removed another arrow, this time from his cloak. The remaining slave trader charged at him, sword unsheathed. The figure however easily dodged him before stabbing the arrow into his arm and landing a swift kick to his stomach. The man stumbled into a wall and howled in agony from the arrow being wedged in his arm. He tried to get up but the figure had already reached him, holding him down with his foot.

"That arrow was coated with the venom of the Orarian Wandering Scorpion, making your limbs completely useless once the venom takes effect,"

He then pulled out a dart and then stabbed it into the man's leg.

"That dart will ensure that you can't lie to me,"

He crouched down.

"Now tell me everything you know about the trade you made recently, and tell me if this woman was amongst their ranks,"

He held up a picture of a beautiful elf with dark brown hair.

"...She was with them and they left thirteen hours ago to a stronghold in the south under the rule of Arkuno Zandrich," said the man.  
"Keep going,"  
"This particular batch of slaves is going to the mainland three weeks from now and they will spend two weeks at that stronghold before they leave never to return,"

The hooded figure closed his eyes, trying his best to quell the building rage within him.

"One more question...do you know anything of the Aledrias?" he asked.  
"Halor Aledria is the one who ordered these slaves captured and rounded up...but Mr. Zandrich did not like how powerful Halor was getting so he had him killed along with his wife and child,"

The figure rose to his feet as he picked up the man's dagger and threw it at a door.

"Consider yourself lucky...I decided not to kill you today,"

The figure disappeared into the night.


	9. The Path Of Vengeance

**(A/N): A major update was added to the submission guidelines and roster. Go ahead and check it out to see what's changed.**

 **Approaching the timeskip fast so we're nearing the 1/3 point of the entirety of the story.**

 **Hope you guys are enjoying it so far! This chapter was a bit short I know but I'll pick it up in the next one, scouts honor.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Path Of Vengeance**

* * *

 **One Week Later- The Kānēshon**

"Matilda! Could you bring out a bouquet of pink roses!" shouted Nana.  
"All over it!" replied Matilda.

Nana then turned back to the customer in front of her and bowed graciously.

"Just give us a moment sir; we still haven't completely unpacked as yet," she said.  
"Not a problem," replied the customer.

Matilda then appeared with a beautiful bouquet of pink roses as she stepped forward to hand them to the man. Unfortunately for her, she had completely forgotten about the footstool in front of her and her right foot kicked it, causing her to completely lose her balance. The bouquet flew into the air, only to be caught by Hanna who had come out of nowhere.

"You're such a klutz Matilda," sighed Hanna.  
"Well excuse me for not seeing a footstool! I'm the only one here with glasses you know!" she said with a pout.

Nana sighed and laughed nervously as the man handed her a small bag with coins inside.

"Thank you; I needed this for my wife's birthday, I'll be certain to tell everyone about this place," he said with a smile.

He then took his leave as Nana turned to the still grounded Matilda. She was in an absolute mess; her clothes were completely disheveled, causing her to reveal a great deal of her skin and her fall had caused the large bookshelf to spill its contents all over her.

"You're hopeless..." sighed Hanna.

The door around the back opened and much to everyone's surprise, Fang appeared...without Takashi?

The wolf approached Hanna before rubbing her head against her cheek. Hanna rubbed her head, delighted that she had forgiven her for what happened a week ago...

* * *

 ** _One Week Earlier_**

 _"I...I didn't watch out for Fang and I got myself into a bind...which resulted in her getting hurt,"  
_

 _Takashi looked at Fang._

 ** _"It's true master...but I do not blame her for it because I was reckless myself,"_**

 _Takashi closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.  
_

 _"If Fang does not hold anything against you then I can't either...so don't worry about it," he said._

 _I sighed in relief but upon looking at him, I noticed something in his eyes...sadness?_

 _"Is something wrong?" I asked._

 _His eyes narrowed._

 _"It's something I have to take care of on my own...so I'll be gone for a few days, don't tell anyone where I've gone," he said._

 _I opened my mouth to question him but he turned away from me, picking up a bag and his bow._

 _"Why do you have to go through this alone? We're your family," I said.  
"There are some things that family can't help with...this is something I need to handle alone,"_

 _Before I could say another word, Takashi jumped through the window, leaving Fang and I alone._

* * *

 **Present Time**

"Are you okay Hanna?"

I snapped from my thoughts and looked at Nana.

"Is everything alright? You kind of zoned out there," she said.

I nodded.

"Was just thinking about something is all," I replied.  
"I'm back!"

Everyone turned to the door to see Akio with Relia in tow. He was carrying some boxes while Relia had a basket full of seeds.

"Oh! The shipment came in?" asked Nana.

Relia nodded as she handed the basket to her.

"Good...now all we need is for Takashi to get back so he can sprout these," said Nana.  
"I'll put them around the back!"

Matilda shuffled the books off of her and reached for the basket. However...as luck would have it, she slipped on an open book, sending her tumbling into Akio, causing him to drop the crates he was holding. Once all the dust and papers cleared, Akio's face was completely smothered by Matilda's massive bosom and somehow, most of her clothes had gotten torn up or flew up into a position to do the opposite of their function: hide her skin. Nana slapped herself in the forehead as Hanna pulled Matilda off of Akio, Relia helped him up as he sighed deeply, his face now very red.

"Stay around the back before you destroy the front of the shop," snapped Hanna.

Matilda pouted as she took the seeds and walked around the back without a further word.

"Anyway...where's Takashi?" asked Nana.

I looked away and sighed.

"I'll be upstairs," I said.

The door suddenly opened as Zekko walked through.

"Has anyone seen Ayame or Takashi?" he asked.

Everyone shook their heads, including me. Zekko put a hand to his chin.

"Come to think of it, I've seen very little of either of them this past week...wonder what's going on?" he asked.  
"Maybe Takashi finally decided to make a move on her; I could see from a mile away that he had a thing for her," said Nana with a snicker.  
"As true as that could be, Ayame doesn't look like the type to want to go out anywhere...so it sounds like trouble," said Akio.

* * *

 **Meanwhile- The Tavern**

 _"Are you sure you saw him come in here Meiryo?"  
 **"Positive,"**  
_

I looked around for any sign of him...but not couldn't find a single trace.

"Why are you following me?"

I felt a chill run down my spine as I realized he had suddenly appeared behind me.

"You've...been distant this past week, what's going on?" I asked.

He was silent for a few moments.

"I was doing some digging around...I believe I may have found the slave traders who wronged us both," he said.

My heart skipped a beat.

"But...how?' I asked.  
"It doesn't matter how I know; what does matter is that we make our move...they have my mother and they will disappear across the sea, never to return in one week," he replied.  
"You spent the last week searching for intel about them?" I asked.  
"Yes...I had to be sure the information was accurate," he replied.

"...I'm leaving tonight to get my mother, whether or not you come with me is up to you," he said.

I shook my head.

"It goes without saying that I will come...but why all of the secrecy? Why didn't you tell me or the familia?" I asked.

I heard him let out a breath.

"This is something I have to handle on my own...the only reason I'm here is because I promised you that we would take them down together else I'd already be gone...so are you coming?' he asked.  
"Yes,"  
"Meet me outside of the city gates at sundown...don't be late,"

I then felt a piece of paper enter my pocket.

"Give that to Hestia...and tell her I'm sorry,"

I tried to turn around to face him...but he already disappeared.

* * *

 **Later That Evening- Hestia's Church**

"You wanted to talk to me about something Ayame?"

Hestia approached me as I swallowed hard.

"I...have something I need to take care of and I have to leave town for a while," I said.  
"How long will you be gone?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"I'm not sure,"  
"Is it the group of bandits that killed your family?" she asked.

I nodded slowly.

"And that's why Takashi disappeared...isn't it?" she asked.

I handed her the slip of paper.

"He said to give it to you,"

My eyes widened as I saw tears come to her eyes.

"I have to go...or he'll leave me behind," I said.  
"Go...bring him back to me," she begged.

I nodded as I looked to Fang.

"Let's go,"

 **...**

I flipped the paper over...knowing the kind of message that he would've written on it. I had long since dreaded this day...the day where he goes to rescue his mother from the clutches of the ones who wronged his family. I had always encouraged him to become the strongest he could possibly be. But I always knew that he was only a single elf...there's no way he could hope to take down an entire trade corporation on his own.

But he never cared about the odds...he always put his others above him. He didn't care if he had to fight an entire army...only that the mission was completed. I had faith in his ability...I always have but this...I wasn't prepared for this.

 **~ o ~**

 ** _Dear Hestia,_**

 ** _The day I spoke of all those years ago has finally come...now the time that I go to rescue my mother. I wish it would've been later; I really began to warm up to everyone and I truly felt at home. For that...I cannot thank you enough. You've done so much for me...sacrificed even more and you were always there for me...no matter how cold I or ignorant I was._**

 ** _You showed me the same unconditional love that my mother showed me...you saved my life and you made me into the man I am today and for that...I will always be grateful._**

 ** _I'm glad I was able to do what I did for you...I'm glad I was there to see your familia grow so much and I'm glad that I was able to make you proud...but now, this road has come to an end. Now, things will change._**

 ** _I don't expect to return from this alive; what I'm about to walk into is very unlikely for me to escape from...all that I ask is that if I do not return, I will make sure that Ayame and my mother do._**

 ** _Please...take care of everyone. They need your guidance...they need your love._**

 ** _I will always love you Hestia...with all of my heart._**

 ** _Takashi_**

 **~ o ~**

I broke down on the spot, screaming into the pillow in front of me. The door burst open as Nana came running.

"Hestia? What's wrong?" she asked.

I continued to cry loudly as the paper fell from my hand. Akio followed her into the room and picked up the paper as Nana grabbed me in a hug. Akio gasped audibly.

"Shit...that fucking idiot, trying to take it all on his own," he growled.

He tried to run out of the room but I stopped him with a shout of his name.

"Hestia?!" he snapped in disbelief.  
"He...he has to do it on his own," I said.  
"Are you insane?! There's no way he's coming back alive from this! It's fucking suicide!" he growled.  
"And also the day he's trained his entire life for...he became an adventurer to become strong enough to get her back and now is his chance," I said.

Nana shook her head.

"She's right Akio...if we interfered, he would never forgive us," she said.  
"So we're just supposed to sit here and wait for news of our friend's death?" he replied.  
"Ayame went with him...the same slave traders that killed Takashi's family are the ones that killed hers too," I replied.

He clenched his fists and punched the wall.

"...He better come back...or I'll never forgive him,"

* * *

 **Outside Orario- The Woods**

I looked around for any sign of Takashi...but found nothing. Fang then barked and as I turned around, he jumped down from a tree. He had his hood over his head and his mask over the lower half of his face.

"What we're about to do is practically a suicide mission...there's a very strong chance that neither of us are going to come back from this," he said.

I shook my head.

"At the very least...we'll get revenge on all of those bastards for what they did to our families," I replied.

Takashi nodded as he looked to Fang, who approached him and rubbed her head against his stomach. He gently rubbed her head as he turned back to me.

"The stronghold is one day's travel from here...are you ready?" he asked.

I nodded confidently.

"Then let's make them pay for all the wrongs they've committed,"


	10. When I See You Again

**(A/N): We have now officially reached the third of the way point. Thanks for sticking with me if you've been reading consistently all the way through!  
**

 **Following this chapter is a 2 year timeskip. For all those who have been accepted, I'm going to need to know what you want your character to focus on during the time. Training? Working on relationships? Whatever you find relevant, pass it onto me.**

 **This will also give me a chance to finish the whole roster off.**

 **Thank you all for giving this story your attention; I've certainly had fun writing it for you all!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: When I See You Again**

* * *

 _"Your...your father was the one who killed my family...the one who had my mother enslaved..."_

 _I watched as Ayame approached me._

 _"I...had no idea he did," she said._

 _Half of me wanted to leave her behind; I couldn't believe that after everything that's happened...she would be the daughter of the one who caused me so much pain and torment. But...why did I not hate her?_

 _I should hate her; her family is the reason that mine no longer lived...and if my mother didn't train me, I would've likely joined their ranks. But every time I tried to find a reason to hate her...to give myself an excuse to step away from her because of the way she was beginning to make me think...it was futile._

 _"Takashi...you know that I would never want to hurt you...we've been through a lot together and you and I share the same mission,"_

 _I closed my eyes and tried to move away but the feel of her hand on my cheek caused me to open them again. She...was smiling at me._

 _"If I knew my father was the one who did this to you...I've have had him arrested long ago...I'm not your enemy Takashi...I'm your friend,"_

 _I looked into her eyes...and saw nothing but innocence and genuine affection. How could I have brought myself to resent her...she never did anything wrong to me. She never tried to hurt me...she always did her best to support me and if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here right now. I slowly allowed one of my hands to reach her cheek as hers dropped. I found myself inching closer to her, suddenly realizing just how beautiful she was._

 _She had a smile...like no other and even though half of me wanted to alienate her for all the suffering her family caused me...she somehow managed to slip past my barriers. She had somehow become..._

 _The sickening sound of blade meeting flesh followed and her smile...suddenly turned to a completely lifeless expression. I felt warm blood on my hands and I watched the light leave her eyes..._

* * *

 **Two Days Later- A Small Campsite, Just Outside Of Arkuno's Stronghold**

I jolted awake from my dream and wiped my face from the sweat. I looked around frantically to see that everything was fine. Across from me was Fang, who was still fast asleep. Beside her, Ayame was in her bedroll, also still sleeping soundly. I looked up to see that night had fallen.

 _"Now is the time to strike...while we have the cover of night..."_

I got out of my bedroll and checked my gear to ensure everything was together. I looked to my quiver as I opened three bottles of poison that I brewed before I left Orario.

 _"Anesthetic, paralyzing and truth poisons...I can't believe I let Ayame talk me out of killing every last one of them..."_

I began to coat all of my arrows in the three poisons, giving an even amount to each. Once I was satisfied with my work, I removed a small satchel from my bag that was filled with darts. I carefully filled each dart with a different kind of poison until all of them were filled. I closed all the bottles and placed them back into my bag as I began to examine my armor. Satisfied with all the modifications I made to it, I then made note of my new spell; I went to Eliss a few days ago in order to get my promised grimoire.

The tome granted me the ability to shapeshift into my spirit animal, which was a pure white wolf. Hestia's word resonated within my head.

 _"Do not shift if you're angry because if you do, your primal instincts will take over and you will not even think of shifting back...only do so when you're calm,"_

I sighed softly as I donned my armor, ensuring everything was secure and ready to go once Ayame awakened. Once I was ready, I approached her...to see her in a completely peaceful state of sleep.

 _"...She hasn't slept so soundly before..."_

I instinctively lifted a hand to run across her cheek but as I neared her, I pulled away and closed my eyes.

 _"Feelings will only distract me...I can't afford to be distracted now,"_

I took up my bow and sat by a tree as I patiently waited for her to awaken.

 **...**

"The stronghold is a small compound that doesn't have a great deal of security on the outside...but inside there's a small army," said Takashi.

He pointed to the red X on the map.

"That's where the slaves are being held and the big building next to it is probably where Arkuno is...he's the one who controls the entire slave trade operation near Orario...we capture him, we stop slave trade here," he continued.

Ayame nodded.

"So what's the plan?" she asked.  
"There's an entrance at the back which leads directly into the slave pens...if we can get into there, we can sneak them all out and minimize the risk of them getting hurt," he replied.

Ayame nodded.

"I'll go in first...stay right behind me," he said.

Ayame looked to Meiryo.

 _"Keep an eye on their activity...warn me if they start coming,"_  
 _ **"Yes mistress,"**_

Meiryo flew high up into the air as Takashi looked to Fang.

 _"Stay by the exit...I'm going to get mother out of there and you get her back to the campsite,"  
 **"Be careful master..."  
** "You know I will,"_

Fang ran off as instructed. Takashi then turned to Ayame.

"Time...for retribution,"

* * *

 **Several Minutes Later- The Main Building**

"Master Arkuno! A figure approaches!"

The man known as Arkuno smiled.

"It's about time he arrived...I've been expecting those kegs of wine for hours," I said.

He turned to his favorite slave and smiled.

"You'll be a lot more obedient when you're intoxicated," he mocked.

She was in terrible condition; Arkuno instructed his men to not feed her more than she needed to stay alive as well as hydrate her with only enough water to ensure she would not die of dehydration. She hasn't slept in nearly two days...but now she was beginning to break down so he could finally get her to follow orders.

"You're a very resilient elf...I'll give you that much," he said.

 _"Finally...I'll get what I want from this bitch,"_

" **SIR! THE FIGURE IS HOSTILE!** " screamed one of the scouts.

Arkuno eyes widened and before he could issue a command, he heard the deafening sound of a gas keg exploding by the gates of the stronghold. He left the slave inside and put the telescope in his hand to use. The explosion had completely obliterated the front gates of the outpost and sent debris crashing into one of the sleeping tents. The assailant however...was nowhere to be seen.

" **WHERE IS HE?** " bellowed Arkuno.

He looked to his men and roared in anger.

" **FIND HIM AND BRING HIM TO ME SO I CAN PEEL THE SKIN FROM HIS BONES!** "

" **YES SIR!** "

 **~ o ~**

The diversion I created worked beautifully; everyone was in a panic and the debris from the gate had to have taken out at least some of the soldiers. My scouting experience made it easy to discern where everything was.

There was no way Arkuno would keep in hiding; I had learned he was a bloodthirsty warrior even though he tended to hide behind his men. However...after hearing Meiryo's report...there weren't that many slaves in the pens after he flew to the tent and peered through it. What puzzled me even more was that there was no sign of any female elf slaves...mostly Cat Women and Runarls were among their ranks.

I could only conclude that Arkuno was making use of some of them in the main building or that they were tended to the soldiers inside. There was a large building in the middle of the outpost with the only entrance to it now destroyed. I didn't have a lot of arrows to work and I knew that I had only limited stamina so I had to work quickly and avoid being in extended fights. I looked through the looking glass in my hand to see that two more guards had come outside of the gate...

Big mistake. I shot one of them in his right arm after noticing that he seemed to favor it over his left and the second one got a arrow to the left leg, dropping him like a sack of bricks. I then turned to Ayame.

"Let's move," I said.

She stuck behind me as we neared the back gate. My anesthetic poison worked beautifully; the guards had already fallen unconscious by the time we arrived to the gate. I opened the gate and immediately shot the guard in front of us who had his back turned with another anesthetic arrow. I quickly pulled his body out of sight as I urged Ayame inside. We searched around for any sign of guards...but there were none at all. I then searched the guard for any keys and much to my relief, I found a dangling set. I used it to open the pens but I urged all of the women to be quiet.

"We're going to get you out of here...the back entrance that we just came through is clear, move quickly and quietly," I whispered.

Several of the women smiled brightly at me as they made their way past us. However, one of the women stopped to look at me.

"You...look a lot like her," she said.

My eyes widened as I showed her the picture of my mother. She herself seemed shocked.

"Emadriel...you're her son aren't you?" she asked.

I nodded.

"She's being held in the main building...Arkuno has taken a liking to her and makes her his personal slave," she said.

My fists automatically clenched.

"Is she alright?" I asked.  
"He takes her during the days and brings her back at night...but for some reason he didn't do so today," she replied.

I closed my eyes and urged her to leave.

"...You have a wonderful mother Takashi,"

She ran out the door as Ayame shut it behind us.

"What's the next step?" she asked.

I gripped my bow.

"Take down Arkuno,"

 **...**

We made it to the entrance of the building as I took a breath. Takashi kicked the door in as I noticed two men in front of me. I quickly rolled into cover as the hail of arrows followed almost instantly after, striking the concrete pillar I hid myself behind. Takashi had already loaded two arrows and fired them together, striking both men in the chest. Considering how quickly the dropped to the floor, I assumed Takashi had used his paralyzing arrows instead of the anesthetic ones. We quickly scaled the stairs.

I felt almost useless; I had no readily available spell that I could use to help in this situation but Takashi didn't seem to be mad at all.

 _"I can't afford to be off guard..."_

I heard soft groaning from a muffled mouth once we reached a small hallway. I quickly made my way towards the sound and much to my relief, I found Emadriel with her hands bound and a cloth in her mouth. Takashi was instantly at her side, cutting the bonds from her hands and the rope from around her neck as he held her.

"Come on...mother please...wake up," he whispered.

I reached into my pocket to retrieve a potion and handed it to her. I examined her carefully and noticed that she was very dehydrated and judging from how loudly her stomach was rumbling, they did not give her any food in at least a few days. She weakly grasped the vial of red medicine.

"I'm gonna get you outta here..." he whispered.  
"I-I-It...it's a trap..." she said weakly.

I noticed that her eyes moved from me to just behind me for a moment. I clenched my fists and tried to chant a spell...only for two large hands to grab me and hold both my arms behind my back. Takashi immediately rolled forward and pulled his bow out at the person behind me.

"So you must be the brat that this bitch talks endlessly about," said Arkuno

Takashi's eyes turned to slits.  
"Arkuno," he growled.

He smiled as he looked down at Emadriel.

"She doesn't look so good...aren't you gonna help her?" he asked.

Takashi stood protectively in front of her, his bow never leaving the firing position.

"Sick men like you deserve life behind bars," said Takashi.  
"Business is business kid,"

I then felt metal against my neck.

"Now unless you want me to rip her throat open...I suggest you drop the bow,"

Takashi slowly let the bow fall to the floor but within the same motion, he reached into his satchel and hurled a dart at Arkuno. I immediately kicked him in the ankle and barely managed to get out of the way of the oncoming dart. Arkuno hissed in pain as he drew it out of his chest. I rolled away from him as Takashi threw another four darts, each of them finding its mark until Arkuno collapsed.

Emadriel managed to get to her feet but she was very weak, barely able to make it to the window behind us.

"Are you alright?" I asked.  
"...You both need to get out of here..." she groaned.

Takashi shook his head vigorously.

"I'm not leaving without you," he replied.

Emadriel shook her head.

"I'll slow you down son...I'm very weak because I haven't eaten in several days and I'm barely hydrated...even if we managed to escape, I would slow your return to Orario which is a day's ride away from here," she said.

My eyes widened.

"You...knew we were coming?" I asked.  
"I have precognitive dreams...I knew this day would come," she replied.

Takashi's eyes began to fill with tears.

"Mother...I've trained for a very long time to get here...my whole life...all I wanted was to see you again," he said.

Emadriel drank the potion I handed to her and seemed a lot more energetic, though her body wasn't in the best of conditions. She approached Takashi, smiling.

"My son...has grown into such a handsome man...I'm so proud of you Takashi," she whispered.

He hugged her deeply and finally let his tears come out. Emadriel returned the hug, gently stroking his hair.

"You've grown into such a wonderful man...I looked forward to seeing you again...before my time comes,"

He leaned away and looked at her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

She suddenly collapsed to the ground and began to cough up blood. My eyes widened in horror...as I knew exactly what was happening to her.

"She was injected with the venom of a Reapertail Scorpion...she doesn't have much time left..." I said.

Takashi's eyes widened.

"And we...we just..." he gasped.  
"Reaperfang venom causes stamina draughts to have the complete opposite effect...and since she drank an elven brew...it's ravaging her internal organs,"

He cursed loudly as tears began to stream down his cheeks.

"Mom...why didn't you tell me..." he sobbed.  
"I couldn't...because even if you did not give me that potion...my fate was sealed,"

He held her close to him, clinging as if for dear life. She then looked to me and smiled.

"You...are the daughter of Halor Aledria aren't you?" she asked.

I nodded slowly.

"I can see that much darkness came from your past...and you should know that I hold no hard feelings against your family,"

I gasped.

"You mean...my father...is the one who did this to you?'  
"He was indeed...but I do not hold anything against you...you're a beautiful girl Ayame and I knew your mother well," she explained.

I knelt down beside her as she continued to cough out blood.

"Takashi...you and Ayame need to escape this place...a large group of men are on their way here with a shipment of wine," she groaned.  
"But..."

She placed her hand on his cheek.

"You're strong...you've grown stronger than I ever would've imagined and I know you can do this my son...you've made use of your skills and saved countless lives with it...I've seen it all in my dreams," she whispered.

Emadriel's eyes began to narrow as Takashi continued to sob loudly.

"You've done all you can my son...you have to let me go," she said.

He closed his eyes as she turned to face me and placed a hand on mine.

 _"Take care of my son...he's going to need someone now more than ever and I don't think Hestia can do it all on her own...I can tell he cares deeply for you but he just can't bring himself to admit anything...he's always been a stubborn boy but he's one of the purest souls I have ever seen,"_

I could hear her heart rate begin to slow down.

 _"Please...promise me you'll take care of him..."_

I nodded slowly, causing her to smile one last time. She then turned to her son.

"Did you save everyone else?" she asked.  
"Yes mother...I freed all of them..." he sobbed.

She leaned up and hugged him.

"You're a good boy...you've always been a good boy Takashi...and I'm the proudest mother in the world right now,"

She coughed out more blood as she collapsed back into his arms. She brought a hand to his cheek and smiled.

"I love you...Takashi...and I always will..."

She...ceased all movement. He cried out in a mad mix of rage and sadness as he lowered her body to the floor and closed her eyelids. I immediately caught him in a warm hug as he broke down in my arms. After several minutes of letting out all of his pain, I noticed Arkuno waking up. I stood up to stop him but Takashi moved at an unreal speed, grabbing onto Arkuno's neck and slamming him against the wall.

"You took my father away from me...and now my mother...you have ten words to answer my next question and if I don't like what I hear, I'll rip your throat out," he said.

He looked at me.

"Are you the one who ordered Ayame's parents killed?" he asked.

Arkuno did not respond. Takashi reached into his satchel and pulled out three darts before stabbing them into Arkuno's neck, causing him to howl in pain.

" **ANSWER ME!** "  
"I am not the one who ordered their deaths...but I am the one that killed them," he replied.  
"Keep talking...tell me everything you know," snapped Takashi.

Arkuno revealed the name of the man who ordered the hit on my family, a War Tiger named Berkley Stern who made his home across the sea in the mainland. Berkley has the Falna of Ares and is a level 6 adventurer who moved to the mainland in order to make a fortune. After getting all the specifics about his operations in the mainland, Takashi tossed him aside before tying him up. He then picked up his mother's body.

"Let's get out of here,"

* * *

 **One Hour Later**

"Are you alright?"

Takashi didn't answer her as he continued to stare at his mother's grave. He had just finished burying her.

"...Goodbye mother,"

He closed his eyes as he turned away.

 **"Shield her sleeping form until it is ready to return to the planet...Greensprout,"  
**

Beautiful flowers sprouted from the grass and surrounded the stone he carved that read:

 _"Here lies Emadriel Mashiro...a brilliant teacher, a wise oracle...an incredible mother,"_

"There's so much I wanted to show you...so many people I would've loved for you to meet..."

I hugged his kneeling form as his head drooped down over my arms.

"You're going to be okay...she got one last chance to see her son again after surviving all of that time in slavery...you giving her that final wish was more than enough," I said.  
"She would've loved Hestia and the others...she would've taught us all so much," he said.

I didn't let go of him.

"She died with a smile on her face Takashi...you are her living legacy and now more than ever, you have to live on...it's what she wanted for you," I said.

He closed his eyes.

"Thank you for coming with me...if you didn't, I doubt I would've returned home after this," he said.

I shook my head.

"That's what friends do for each other," I replied.

He turned around and looked at me, almost as if he were looking into my very soul.

"You saved me from descending into rage and madness...thank you Ayame," he whispered.

Before I could respond, he hugged me deeply.

"I'm truly sorry we did not find the man who was truly responsible for your parents deaths...but we will someday," he said.

I shook my head.

"All that matters...is the here and now," i replied.

I leaned away and held out a hand.

"Let's go home,"

* * *

 **The Following Afternoon**

" **YOU TWO HAD ME WORRIED SICK!** "

I laughed softly upon realizing that both Nana and Hestia said those words in unison. Akio sighed deeply.

"I'm truly sorry that she passed away," he said.  
"If I had known you two were going...I'd have tagged along and I may have been able to save her," said Matilda.

She turned to look at Takashi, who was by the window with a mug of mead in his hand.

"I don't like seeing Takkun so broken up..." she said.  
"Why aren't you over there Ayame?" asked Mira.

I looked at her in confusion.

"Isn't it obvious?...He trusts you more than anyone else in this room," said Vanna.

I shook my head but Amie tugged on my cloak.

"You're the only one who makes him smile anymore...please cheer him up," she said.

I let out a deep breath as I rose up from the table. Hestia approached me before hugging me.

"Thank you for bringing him home Ayame...but now more than ever, he's going to need you; I know I can't be the one to bring him out of this darkness," she said.

I nodded as I approached him. He didn't seem to notice my presence as I scoot into the opposite side of the booth.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

Takashi placed the mug onto the table and reached into his cloak...to pull out a small flute. He brought it to his lips and started to play an absolutely beautiful melody. It sounded so good that other people began to gather around and listen. What amazed me was that he was playing it with his eyes closed and he didn't seem to miss a single note. After about two minutes, he caught his breath and turned to me.

"I'm going to take a break from being an adventurer," he said.

I looked at him in disbelief.

"What do you mean?"  
"I'm going to the mainland to find out more about the slave traders...and also to find myself," he replied.

He rose to his feet and walked out of the booth. I was right behind him as I grabbed his hand.

"Why are you leaving again?" I asked.  
"...I need a break from Orario; the reason I became an adventurer was to save my mother...now my purpose is unclear," he replied.

He smiled at me.

"I will write to you every single day I am gone...that's a promise," he said.

I shook my head vigorously.

"Don't leave...you can't..."

Much to my astonishment, I felt something soft against my forehead. It was then that I realized he was kissing me.

"I'll come back...I just need to find my purpose," he said.

He then walked over to the familia. Needless to say, Hestia and Nana were not in the least amused. Vanna however, seemed to fully understand his reasoning and actually encouraged him to take a break from the life he's had for the last several years; he hadn't taken any time for himself during all of this. Akio also agreed, though he didn't want his best friend to leave at all. The Lee sisters were also against him leaving, especially Amie who had grown a clear fondness for him. Matilda was furious but despite that...she knew that it was best for him to find his own path to walk. She of all people knew that he would come back; he was always a man who kept his word. Relia and Archon were in the dungeon...so they weren't here to say goodbye. Once he finished speaking to all of them, he returned to the table and picked up his bag. He then approached me and hugged me.

"Wait for me..." he whispered.

My eyes widened as he took his leave. Even though I was really sad to see him go.

It would be all the more worth it when I see him again.


	11. Awakening

**(A/N): Gonna get some more content out in preparation for the companion story, Children Of Hades by Cyberweasel89. Sorry to keep everyone waiting; I got pretty damn sick this weekend. I'll probably do a lot of content between today and Wednesday as well so fasten your seatbelts.  
**

 **Also, if you have a character who didn't manage to make it here, try and have a talk with her; she'll probably try to accommodate you.**

 **Anyway, let's get back to it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Awakening**

* * *

 **The Hestia Mansion, Hestia's Room**

I'm glad I managed to make the trip to the archives today; so many of the familia have grown so much that it's difficult to keep my memory of all their skills. The person I had really gone to look up was Ayame, who had developed a skill I had never heard of before. I didn't know what to tell her when I updated her status this morning...

 **~ o ~**

 _"I'm so proud of you Ayame; your training has really paid off," I said._

 _She smiled at me as she lowered her shirt._

 _"You learned that spell from the grimoire you found in the dungeon right?" I asked.  
"A pair of adventurers tried to ambush me on my way back from Rivira and one of them was carrying a grimoire...I had no choice but to defend myself," she replied._

 _I nodded slowly._

 _"Thunderbolt is a powerful spell if you know how to use it...but what's really interesting is that you seem to have developed a skill as well," I explained._

 _She looked at me as if in disbelief._

 _"What does it do?"  
_

 _I shook my head._

 _"I've never heard of this skill...it's something called Lifestream," I replied._

 _She shook her head._

 _"I...don't know how I developed that," she replied._

 _I smiled._

 _"I'll go take a look in the archives for you...you go on ahead and train," I said._

 _Ayame hugged me._

 _"You're the best," she said._

 **...**

I went through the book, searching everywhere for this skill I had never even heard of until finally, I found it.

 _"Lifestream...an extremely powerful healing spell capable of curing even the most grim of illnesses. The skill converts the user's energy into healing magic and causes a rainstorm to spread the healing magic over an area. If the rain touches any external injury such as cuts and bruises, they will be healed within seconds. However, to allow it to cure poisons and debilitating effects, the individual must drink the rain. In addition to the rain curing the imbiber, it also causes them to have a tremendous burst of stamina and increases their Endurance moderately. This skill must be initially triggered by a dire need for it and once awakened once, the user may call upon it at any time,"_

I laughed to myself.

"Looks like Matilda has some competition,"

* * *

 **The** **Kānēshon**

"Man...today's been a rough day," said Zekko.  
"Today was rather busy yes," replied Nana.

Amie handed them both a cup of tea, which they gratefully accepted.

"Any word on that lead you were talking about?" asked Nana.  
"A few people have said that the Monster Rex of floor 17 has appeared again...I was thinking we could take it down one more time and hope for another drop because right now, we're rather behind in terms of gear," replied Zekko.

Nana nodded slowly.

"Is everyone else aware of this?" she asked.  
"Hanna is still out of town; had a contract towards the east but she should be back in about three days, I believe Vanna is also out of town because of a hunting contract seeing as she basically took over for Takashi...oh man, I miss that son of a bitch," sighed Zekko.

Nana's eyes narrowed.

"His birthday's in six days," sighed Nana.

Amie approached her and put a hand on hers.

"He said he would come back..." she said.  
"Yeah...but to keep us all waiting for two years?" replied Nana.

Amie sighed deeply and nodded; two years was an awfully long time for him to be gone. The time passed by quickly as everyone found what they were supposed to do whenever they weren't in dungeon.

Matilda was usually in the Kānēshon, helping out around the back but she lately has been called to work at the Hostess Of Fertility due to her incredible cooking skills. Akio spent most of his time improving his skills as well as his leatherworking, which he now had quite the knack for. Relia for the most part has been following him, considering that they were a couple and all. Archon, the proud warrior was away from Orario, visiting his family near the borders of Ares's nation due to his sister getting sick. Mira continued to train very hard, desiring to become the strongest member of the familia but she was still lagging behind Vanna, who became the strongest member once she became the first person to reach level 4. Zekko himself had been looking around for opportunities for a party expedition into the dungeon; they didn't want to go further down without Takashi.

"I'm back!"

Nana smiled as she looked to the door.

"Good to see that you didn't get lost Bell," she teased.

The white haired warrior laughed nervously.

"Well, Orario's a pretty big place!" he replied.

Amie approached him and smiled.

"Did you find everything we needed?" she asked.

Bell smiled and handed her a bag.

"Got everything on the list," he replied.

She took the bag from him and walked around to the back of the shop as Nana yawned.

"It's about closing time...dinner at the Hostess tonight?" she asked.

Everyone nodded practically in unison.

"Hope Matilda is cooking tonight," said Zekko with a snicker.

Amie and Nana nodded in agreement as Zekko suddenly started to look around.

"Has anyone seen Ayame?" asked Zekko.

To that, no one was able to reply.

* * *

 **Just Outside Of Orario, The Woods**

 ** _"You've really improved mistress; your skills are a far cry from what they were two years ago,"  
_** _"Thank you Meiryo,"_

I let out a heavy breath as I examined what my spells did to the dummy that I placed in front of me about an hour ago.

 _ **"You've burned yet another target dummy to ashes...I think you've just about mastered that new spell of yours,"**  
"I guess you're right,"_

I placed my staff back on my back as I let out a sigh.

 _ **"He's still on your mind...isn't he?"**  
_ _"It's been difficult to keep my mind off of him...I still can't believe that my father was the one who ordered his mother captured and the rest of his family killed,"_

Meiryo flew onto my shoulder and rubbed his head against my cheek.

 _ **"It's not your fault...and I'm sure he does not blame you for that happening; Emadriel did not blame you either,"**_

I sighed deeply.

 _"I just can't believe he's been gone for so long...two years and not a word back?"  
_ _ **"He went alone; Fang has been with us the entire time because he told her to stay back,"**_

I suddenly heard what sounded like an explosion.

 _"Could it be those bandits again?"  
 **"I will check...be careful on your approach,"**_

Meiryo flew off of my shoulder and high into the air as I swiftly made my way towards the source of the explosion. As I neared it, I could hear a lot of screaming and shouting. Once I drew close, I hid myself in the bushes and peered through.

"I'm going to ask you one more time...where is Ayame Aledria?"

A large man was holding a woman by the neck. My fists automatically clenched.

 **"Wrath of thunder, rage of lightning, unleash thy power upon my foe...THUNDERBOLT!"**

A powerful bolt of lightning flew from my hand and struck the man. The moment he released the woman, I ran to her side and helped her to the trees.

"Get out of here," I said.

She looked at me with shock.

"You're safe...now go home," I said.

She nodded slowly and ran off into the woods. I turned back to face the man, who was smiling.

"Ahh...a silver haired elf? You must be the one I was assigned to capture," he said cracking his knuckles.  
"Who sent you?" I snapped.

He shook his head and raised a finger before waving it back and forth.

"You're in no position to make demands little lady," he said.

He clenched his fist and held it in front of his face.

 **"Destroy all who may oppose me and send them to oblivion...EXPLOSIVE BALL!"**

I barely managed to react in time as I raised my staff.

 **"DISTRESS BARRIER!"**

I was protected by a shield of wind energy but it wasn't enough as the force of the large blast sent me back into a tree with tremendous force. There's no way some mere bandit was this powerful; he had to be an adventurer who was above the average lot. I got to my feet, but I noticed a sharp pain near my ribs.

 _"Damn it...he must've broken something..."_

The man laughed as he removed a large dagger from his belt.

"I've been looking for you for a long time...unfinished business by order of Berkley Stern...nothing personal lassie but I have orders,"

He raised the dagger to strike...until several daggers flew seemingly out of nowhere and struck him in the chest. My eyes widened as I saw Akio leap down from a tree.

"I thought I heard an explosion," he said.

He stood protectively in front of me, eyeing the man who had just pulled all the daggers from his chest.

"You've got lots of guts laddie," he said.

He raised his hand again.

 **"To the black unknown your senses shall go...DARKNESS!"**

I watched as Akio suddenly started to panic.

"I can't see!" he said.

I tried to focus to chant...but the pain from my ribs was too great as the man grabbed Akio by his throat. He laughed before tossing him into a tree as if he were nothing more than a ragdoll. He then turned back to me.

"Get in my way again and I'll kill you too," he snapped.

He once again raised his dagger. I closed my eyes and braced myself for my incoming death...until I heard a loud howl.

 _"That's...that's not Fang,"_

I looked around for the source of the howl but before I could do anything, a brilliant white glow passed over my head and struck the man with great force. The man stumbled to his knees from the hit as he eyed his assailant. I couldn't believe my eyes.

A radiantly white furred wolf was staring down the man, completely unfazed by his greater size. The wolf took a pouncing position as the man stood up.

"Now there's animals helping you too? This little doggie's gonna meet the dirt," he said.

He held out his hand but before he could even chant, the wolf already closed the distance, leaping into the air before sinking its fangs into his arm. The man roared in pain as he tried to swing at the wolf with his dagger but it let go and bounded away, once again taking a pouncing position. The man cursed loudly as he looked at the damage the bite had done.

" **You little pest! TIME TO DIE!** "

He ran at the wolf and swung his dagger but it dodged him easily, this time sinking its fangs into the exposed skin of his leg. The man swung again, completely missing once more as the wolf leaped back, this time towards me. It looked at me for a moment before turning back to its opponent. The man however already had his hand raised. The wolf immediately ran up to me before shoving its head into my ribs, taking one of my arms over its head. Catching on to what its intent was, I gripped as hard as I could as it leaped us both away, just out of the way of the fire blast that hit me earlier. Once we landed, I raised my hand and chanted Thunderbolt's incantation. As I fired it, the wolf took off into a sprint again. It managed to reach the man just moments after the bolt of lightning hit him before tackling him to the ground. The man passed out from what I presumed to be the force of impact with the ground. I panted heavily as I looked to Akio, who was still unconscious from the force of that throw earlier.

The wolf approached me before sitting down and scratching its neck with one of its hind legs. I smiled at it.

"Thank you...I don't know what would've happened if you didn't show up when you did," I said.

The wolf tilted its head, almost as if it was curious as to what I said. I tried to approach it to lay a hand on its head but it seemed to shy away slightly.

"I'm not going to hurt you...I just want to say thank you," I whispered.

The wolf stood of straight and looked at me as I managed to get close. I gently lay a hand on its head and rubbed, causing it to close its eyes. After a few seconds, it opened its eyes suddenly and before I could react, it tackled me to the ground before I heard a very loud yelp. Once I regained my senses...I realized that an arrow was stuck in the wolf's left flank. It yelped loudly as I looked at the man, who had somehow awakened and fired an arrow from his shortbow. I felt rage pour into me as I chanted Thunderbolt once more, this time striking the man in his head. After the current ran through him, half of his face was scalded as he once again fell to the ground. I looked around for the wolf to see that it had limped quite a distance away, though it was moving less than gracefully. I tried to call out to it, but it ignored my voice as it disappeared into the woods. I looked at the ground and noticed a trail of blood.

 _"That has to be a nasty wound...I'd better follow it and see if I can help,"_

I looked to the sky.

 _"Meiryo, make sure Akio's okay until I come back,"  
 **"As you wish mistress,"**_

I took off into the woods, hoping that the wolf didn't get too far ahead.

 **...**

I followed the trail of blood until she finally found the arrow that had struck the wolf.

 _"It actually managed to pull the arrow out from its side...it's a smart animal,"_

I then heard soft groans, as if from a person.

 _"Who...would be out here right now?"_

I followed the sounds...until I happened upon a small meadow where much to my surprise...a familiar face was there.

 _"T-T-Takashi?!"_

I rubbed my eyes to ensure I wasn't dreaming as I made her way towards him. Within the two years he was gone, Takashi's hair had grown longer and he appeared much more defined in muscle mass. His armor was in disrepair and he had a tremendous would near his ribs. From the way he was looking...it didn't look like he was going to make it.

"T...Takashi?"

He looked at me and closed his eyes before turning away.

"...It's good to see you again," he said.

I was at his side in an instant as I examined the wound.

"Are you okay?" she asked.  
"...I don't have much time,"

He looked at the arrow in my hand.

"That...is no ordinary arrow...it was coated in a very potent poison derived from a concoction of Killer Ant and Reapertail venom...there's a large group of rogue adventurers who are mass producing that venom to allow them to take down upper echelon adventurers to steal their belongings," he explained.

He coughed out a lot of blood as I felt my heart begin to race.

"What does it do?" I asked.  
"It completely suppresses the immune system and increases the heart rate to allow itself to spread very quickly...Reapertail venom then has a strange reaction with the ant venom...which causes massive internal damage...but that's not the most terrifying part..."

He closed his eyes.

"The poison...is incurable,"

My eyes widened and I gasped audibly.

"No..."

I knelt down beside him as he collapsed from the tree.

"I was hit with it while I was in wolf form...because my animal form's heart rate is much faster than my normal one...it's already spread throughout my body...my end is near," he groaned.

He picked up a small satchel and handed it to me.

"You have to get this to administration...these people must be stopped...they're the reason why the slave trading business is so strong right now..."

He coughed out a tremendous amount of blood as tears began to stream from my eyes. I put him in my lap, leaning his head on it as I began to cry. He smiled at me, despite his mouth having a lot of blood running from it.

"I'm...really sorry I didn't write...and I'm sorry I had to come back like this..." he groaned.

He laughed weakly as his golden eyes locked onto mine.

"...I never got to tell you how beautiful you are...I guess now's my chance..." he said.

I hugged him close to me and I felt him place a hand on mine.

"I'm glad...that I got to see you one more time..."

His hand fell from mine as I screamed out his name. I didn't want to lose him...I didn't want to admit that I cared for him even though I only realistically knew him for mere weeks...but after everything we survived together, I didn't want him to go...not unless he knew what I was feeling inside. My emotions began to pour out as I gently stroked he hands as his breathing continued to slow down. Suddenly, I felt rain on my skin.

 _"What...it was perfectly sunny a while ago...and I know I didn't say anything to cast Rainstorm..."_

I saw the water fall onto Takashi and much to my astonishment, it sealed a cut on his arm right before my eyes.

 _"...Healing rain?..."_

I immediately released him and used his dagger to cut his armor open, revealing the wound on his torso. The rain continued to pour and just like before, it completely healed the rather grisly looking wound.

 _"...I don't know if this will work...but I have to try,"_

I looked in his bag and took a deep breath as I found a jar, no doubt used to store herbs. I held it out to the rain and for some reason, it seemed to focus mostly on pouring into the jar. Once an adequate amount of it was caught, I held it to his mouth.

"Drink this..." I urged.

He weakly opened his mouth as I poured the water down his throat. Within seconds, his body seemed to have been renewed. He then coughed out a nasty purple substance from his mouth, which was what I presumed to be the poison. He then collapsed, panting heavily.

"...How did you?" he gasped.  
"I...I don't know..."

He smiled at me.

"I...left my things at an inn about two miles north of here...there is a horse tied to a tree at the south end of the meadow...get us there," he asked.  
"Are you alright?" I asked.  
"Much better...but spending so long in wolf form really took it out of me...I'm not used to my normal body...we'll talk more once we get to the inn," he said.

I nodded as I went to retrieve the horse. Once I returned, I saw that he managed to get to his feet and was still panting. He mounted the horse after I picked up his bag as we rode off.

"You...have a lot of explaining to do," I said.  
"I'll explain everything...once we get to the inn and I take a much needed nap..."


	12. Home

**(A/N):** **Well...this has been a long time coming. After an absolutely overwhelming vote, it's arrived. I nearly broke my 10,000 word rule...but oh well.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy this. Now if you'll excuse me...I'm going to go find a tissue to hide my nosebleed.**

* * *

 **WARNING: Sexual Content Ahead. Read At Your Own Risk.**

* * *

 **SPECIAL THANKS:**

 **Shoutout to Cyberweasel89, who encouraged to not hold back any detail and for being the best coach/consultant I could ever ask for.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Home**

* * *

 **Two Hours Later- Orario's Administration**

"This man has been on the most wanted list for a while...thank you very much for bringing him in Mr. Homura,"

I nodded as three soldiers escorted him to the prison.

"Are you okay Akio?"

I turned back to Matilda and nodded.

"You're as great as healer as ever Matilda," I replied with a smile.

She grabbed me in one of her signature bosom filled hugs.

"I have to take care of my family!" she cheered.

I laughed nervously.

"Have you seen Relia at all today?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Everyone's heading to the Hostess for dinner tonight...but Ayame isn't back yet," she replied.

I smiled to myself.

"I think she's going to be just fine,"  
"What makes you say that?"

I looked at the piece of paper in my hand before handing it to her.

"Ayame sent Meiryo back with this,"

Matilda unfolded the paper and read through it aloud.

"I found him," she said.

Matilda snickered to herself.

"I guess all those talks we had with her are finally having the effect we've wanted them to,"

* * *

 ** _Three Months Ago- Ayame's Room, The Hestia Mansion_**

 _"Still can't sleep can you?"_

 _Ayame looked up from the book she was reading and sighed._

 _"It's difficult to sleep when all that's on your mind is the man who disappeared two years ago mostly because of yourself," she replied._

 _I shook my head and sat beside her._

 _"You're still blaming yourself for all of that?" I asked._

 _She nodded slowly._

 _"You were a child back then and there's no way you could've known that he was doing that...you didn't even know who Takkun was back then," I explained.  
"Emadriel said that she was good friends with my mother...so there was a chance I could've," replied Ayame._

 _I sighed deeply before taking the book from her._

 _"Nana and I have been through this a dozen times with you...you can't blame yourself because it was completely out of your control and I'm very sure that Takkun doesn't at all blame you for it,"  
"Then explain why he was so distant to me before he left,"  
"His mother died in his arms Ayame...that's not something that someone can just get over, let alone him whose life mission was to rescue and keep her safe,"_

 _Ayame sighed deeply and lowered her head._

 _"I...didn't think I would miss him this much," she said.  
"We all miss him...but you've been through so much with him in the few weeks that he around you," I said._

 _She nodded slowly._

 _"He didn't have to save my life in the dungeon, he didn't have to risk his life to protect from those monsters and he didn't have to tell me about the slave traders...he could've chosen to handle it all on his own but he instead chose to always keep me in mind,"_

 _I smiled and laughed softly._

 _"That's Takkun alright...very considerate towards others,"_

 _I then pulled out a small satchel._

 _"Takkun gave this bag to me when I first met him...it was full of Valis that he was going to use to get himself a new bow but he chose to use it to help me get back on my feet and that's probably the reason why we all find him so amazing; he's completely selfless and he'll do anything to help if it's within his power and that is the reason why you **love** him,"_

 _Ayame's blushed furiously but I snickered._

 _"You're head over heels for him Whitey," I said with a wink._

 _She shook her head._

 _"It's crazy isn't it...that it's taken such little time to really get attached to someone," she said._

 _I shook my head._

 _"I'll be honest and say that there was a time that I used to have the hots for him because of everything he did for me...but he was so focused on taking care of his familia and Hestia that he didn't notice," I said, my eyes narrowing._

 _Feeling unwanted feelings resurfacing, I shook my head vigorously to clear it._

 _"Don't make the same mistake I made...he cares very deeply for you and if there's one thing Takkun always does, it's fulfill his promises...he'll come back to you and when he does, you have to let him know how you feel,"  
"How do I know he won't reject me?"_

 _I snickered._

 _"Did you forget that kiss he gave you before he left? I've never seen Takkun kiss **ANYONE** before, not even Hestia who he considers to be his surrogate mother,"_

 _Ayame nodded slowly._

 _"Thanks Matilda...I appreciate these talks," she said._

 _I winked at her._

 _"Anytime...now go get some sleep before I knock you out," I teased._

* * *

 **Later That Evening- The Hostess Of Fertility**

"It's all been settled then?" asked Relia.  
"The Monster Rex has appeared one more time on floor 17 so we're going to take it down again...but after this, we're going to try and get to at least floor 25," replied Akio.

He then looked to the right to see two new faces.

"I'm glad you two are with us on this," he said.  
"Not like I have anything better to do,"

The woman shook her head and folded her arms.

"We haven't been introduced have we?" asked Akio.  
"The name's Scheide Argonar,"

She was a tall woman, standing at 5' 9". She had the elongated canines of a War Tiger, indicating that she was at least half of one.

"From what I've heard about you...you used to be a mercenary for hire?" asked Relia.  
"Does it matter? I'm interested in taking part in this and seeing as I have no interest in continuing to be apart of that dumb prick Ares's family, why not just join something that a bit more lively?" she replied.

Relia sighed deeply.

"There's no need to be so hostile; she was only asking a question," said Akio.  
"My past should be of no concern to any of you; it's the past for a fucking reason," she snapped back.

Akio shook his head as he examined her. She had an excellent figure, no doubt due to her intense training as a warrior as well as a modest bust. If that wasn't enough, she sported a lot of curves, though she wasn't on the level of Matilda but came pretty damn close. At a glance, Akio could tell that she didn't give off the warmest of auras as her angry face made her appear cold and cruel. Her pink eyes always appeared desolate and dark. Her fashion was a mix of lolita and exposing skin, which greatly emphasized her tremendous sex appeal. She had snake bite piercings. as well as an eyebrow piercing. She sported winged eyeliner to go with her long lashes.

"Well...thanks for being a part of it anyway Scheide," said Akio.

She scoffed and rose to her feet.

"I'm going to go have a drink, let me know when we're leaving tomorrow and I'll be there," she said.

Relia sighed deeply as Scheide walked away. Akio then turned to the second person.

"Dina is it?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded.

"You seem like a nice girl," said Relia with an encouraging smile.  
"Thank you," she replied.

She stood at around 5' 8" and was rather slim, though she did sport a nice figure. She was dressed in mage robes, indicating that her focus was on spells rather than actual fighting. She had silver hair similar to Ayame's, though it wasn't quite as long as hers. She also had dark brown eyes and a light skin tone.

"Hestia already converted you into the familia right?" asked Akio.

Dina nodded.

"Alright well make yourself at home; there's an empty room in the mansion down the street from here, look for Mira and she'll show you inside," said Relia.

She smiled brightly and bowed politely.

"Thank you for everything...I'll do my best to help wherever I can," she said.

Akio let out a deep sigh as Dina took her leave.

"This family's getting a little too big...guess Hestia's become quite the name now," he said.

Relia nodded.

"It doesn't help that she has her face plastered on the most popular flower shop in all of Orario," she said.

Akio shrugged.

"I wonder what's taking Ayame so long to come back...she should know that we intend to take the expedition tomorrow morning and she could definitely use some sleep," he said.

Relia snuggled up next to him, causing him to blush lightly.

"If her feelings for Takashi are as strong as you say they are...then I can think of a few things she's doing right now," said Relia with a wink.

Akio blushed brightly and cleared his throat.

"Look where your mind is," he said.

Relia simply replied with a wink.

"Let them have their time; they haven't seen each other in two years so they deserve some time to catch up,"

* * *

 **Later That Night- The Katrina Inn**

I slowly stirred from my slumber, looking around for any other presence apart from my own.

 _"Where did he go..."_

I then saw him walk out of the bathroom, his hair now trimmed to it's previous length and all the facial hair he had grown was now gone. He sat on the bed opposite to mine as he took a deep breath.

"I...don't know where to begin...so I'll-"

I didn't even give him the chance to say a word before I slammed my body against his, grabbing him in a tight embrace. He slowly returned it, wrapping one of his arms around me.

"I...missed you so much,"

I had no idea why my voice was cracking right this moment; I had saved his life from certain death earlier but seeing him now...knowing that he was going to be alright just brought a warmth like no other I could describe.

"You have no idea how much I thought of you everyday I was gone,"

His voice was sincere...he was never one to lie but he only spoke in that tone when he really wanted to let people know that he meant it. I let him go as I sat back down on the other bed.

"I spent those two years doing as much research as I could on the slave traders...and I learned a great deal," he explained.  
"You said something about rogue adventurers?" I asked.

He nodded.

"They're using alchemy to create extremely potent poisons that only the most gifted of healers can cure...as I've discovered, they've gone on a kidnapping spree, taking mostly Runarl and Elf girls to be sold to the mainland," he explained.

My fists automatically clenched.

"I tried to help where I could...but I was too well known across the land so I adopted my other form,"

I nodded slowly.

"Is that the spell the grimoire taught you?" I asked.

He responded by immediately shifting into his wolf form. He looked at me for a moment before shifting back.

"I adopted that form for the last six months...I didn't shift out of it because I needed to learn what they were up to and the only way to do that was to no longer be Takashi Mashiro,"

He then sighed deeply.

"That is...until that day five months ago,"  
"What happened?"

His eyes narrowed.

"I killed someone...and for the first time, I terrified someone so much that they wanted nothing to do with me...and instead chose the other way out," he replied.

I felt my heart skip a beat as I saw the guilt pour into his eyes.

"One of the higher ups on the Orario trade had captured a Runarl slave...from the looks of it she was in custody for a very long time considering how terrified and malnourished she appeared to be,"

He removed a necklace from his bag.

"I managed to save her...but while I'm in that form, my anger is amplified and when I saw how awfully he was treating her...I completely lost control of myself and I tore his throat out right in front of her," he explained.

He placed the necklace on the night table beside us.

"I tried to approach her but she was so terrified of what I had done, she assumed that she was next and before I could show her that I meant no harm...she jumped off a cliff to her death, leaving this necklace behind,"

He shook his head.

"I felt so ashamed of what I had done that I didn't turn back into an elf...until I found you,"

He turned away.

"I was angry at myself for falling prey to the very instincts I promised Hestia I would never give in to...so angry at myself that I reverted to the very essence of a wolf and I couldn't shift back...because I couldn't remember that I was really an elf,"

My hands covered my mouth.

"I lost sight of my goal and I wandered the woods for five months...until I picked up your scent,"

I blushed furiously at his words.

"Your scent...it was enough to bring me back to my senses and quell the rage that trapped me in that form for half a year,"

I looked away, my face probably now having the appearance of a tomato.

"You always seem to be there to get me out of trouble," I said.  
"You've saved my life just as many times as I have yours...and this time, there was no way I would still be breathing if it wasn't for you," he said.

I thought back to the many dreams I had of him...to the many times I talked about him with Meiryo and Nana and all the reasons why it made sense for me to feel the way I did despite knowing him for such a small amount of time. Nana had told me over and over again that I was wrong to blame myself for the death of his parents; there was no way I could've known that my father was the one who did those things...but I guess I couldn't help but think there's something I could've done seeing as I used to live with him. Meiryo kept telling me over and over again that he's not like the other adventurers I've met and that he was special...I guess now more than ever I was really beginning to believe what he was saying.

"Takashi...I need to ask you something," I said.

He looked at me and nodded.

"...Are you angry at my family...at me?" I asked.

He was silent for a few moments until he closed his eyes and let out a breath.

"Initially...I was furious," he explained.

He looked out of the window as he got to his feet and approached it.

"I wanted to place blame on someone and seeing as you're the daughter of the man who had a hand in causing the death of my entire family...naturally I would place it all on you,"

He then let out a breath.

"But then you met my mother...and she did not seem to blame you at all,"

My eyes widened.

"I spent a lot of nights thinking about that...some of them sleepless because I couldn't understand why she couldn't find it within her heart to hold resent towards you,"

He then removed the necklace from around his neck.

"It was then that I realized that she must've seen something special in you...that you would never turn out to be like your father and that is what drove me onwards...until the day I could see you again to say..."

He approached me and placed the necklace around my neck.

"That I could never hold a grudge against you...because I care for you far too deeply to let something that was never in your control come between us,"

He then pointed at the gem.

"My mother told me that I would give this to someone special one day...and that person would be the only one who could bring me back from the darkness,"

He swallowed hard.

"I believed my mother's words to be referring to Hestia...but now I know that she meant someone who means even more to me than she does,"

He laughed nervously.

"I never imagined that it would be an elf that I rescued in the dungeon...and I never imagined during the trip I took to find my purpose...that it would lead me right back to you,"

I put a hand on his cheek, glad that this wasn't at all a dream like all the other times I was in this moment.

 **~ o ~**

To say that I was overjoyed to see her again was an understatement. I woke up twenty minutes ago to see that she was still asleep and just like before, she was so peaceful. Memories of the way things were two years ago came rushing back and suddenly, I felt as if I had no right to be here. It was difficult to last all of that time without my familia...let alone without her.

I was probably a fool for allowing myself to care for someone this much...but it just goes to show that when the need to survive arises, trust is that much more valuable and she certainly earned all of mine. She could've refused to nurse me back to health that day in the cave, she could've run on ahead and left me to die and she could've chosen to continue her nomadic lifestyle...but she didn't. She chose to stay and even though it was such a short time, it felt as if I've known her for far longer. For once...I didn't feel as if I was alone. Sure there was Hestia, Nana, Vanna and Akio but there's only so much they could do for me as my adoptive family.

Hestia always told me to trust my instincts and to always follow my heart...but when that night came and I discovered it was the Aledrias that caused me all that pain...my instinct was to block it all out. It was to run away and never return because that's what I spent most of my life doing... **running** **away**.

 _"No more,"_

After disappearing for two years, I was sure that everyone moved on without me...but once I caught her scent, I had to be sure she was alright. I had only stopped near Orario because I was following that very man that we battled with earlier because he was the only lead I had to those slave traders, but I was sure that Ayame had taken steps to ensure his capture. Once she appeared and I saw her in danger...nothing else mattered. All that was in my head was to protect her with everything I have...even if it cost me my life because at least then, she could live on. She had a bright future ahead of her because she was an upcoming mage and I was sure that she and Hestia had plans for the future. From what I heard from travelers, she even became the co-owner of Nana's shop. She had the life she's longed for since the day her family met their end.

It was for that reason that I was able to rid myself of the anger I had; she suffered just as much as I did in the past and I couldn't hold something like that over her head. The fact that she chose to follow me even though she herself was injured into the woods was the signature kindness that I had truly grown to love in her...it meant so much to me that she was willing to go that far, to try to take care of me even though there was a strong possibility that I wouldn't survive. I still have no idea when she got that ability to heal something that I had studied for so long and believed to be incurable...but here we were now.

Holding her in my arms and looking right at her.

"Promise me something," she said.

I nodded.

"Don't take on everything by yourself...let us help," she said.

I opened my mouth to retort but she silenced me with her index finger.

"I don't want to hear an argument... ** _promise_ _me_** ," she whispered.

Her tone was close to breaking, clearly from the sheer worry she must've felt for all that time apart from me...so I nodded.

"You have my word," I replied.

She gave me a heart-melting smile. Every time she did...I couldn't describe the feeling that it gave me. It sent an unknown million volts of electricity through my body and no matter how angry I was, I somehow managed to forget the reason I was angry in the first place. No one has ever had an effect like that...and no one has ever been able to quell my rage like she can.

Seeing her happy was at first just a luxury but now...it felt like it was now my duty to do whatever it takes to ensure that she would never turn frown. Her eyes met mine and I couldn't help but stare back. The silence suddenly became comfortable and for some reason, she appeared in much greater detail.

Her beautiful crystal eyes were slightly red from an obvious lack of sleep; she must've been unable to do so, at least very soundly, during my absence. They were still **her** eyes however...the very same eyes I learned to read. Her face was as usual devoid of any blemishes and still held the same creamy tone that she always had albeit a little paler thanks to the approaching winter days. Her long silver hair was still in pristine condition but the most important thing to me was that she had the same smile...that smile which was purely _hers_.

I closed my eyes and turned away, breaking the intense gaze we had between us before my emotions got the better of me. She seemed confused as to why I did and immediately grabbed my right hand.

"Why are you running away?" she asked.

I let out a heavy breath.

"I'm trying to keep myself from doing something stupid," I replied.

I knew things would get worse if I let myself feel this for her; decisions would be clouded, judgement would be altered in her favor and irrationality was sure to follow. Why the hell was I suddenly thinking with logic instead of emotion?

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

I closed my eyes tightly, feeling my courage reach a boiling point.

"I...I can't say it," I said.  
"Remember what I said before?" she asked.

My eyes opened.

"You never have to go through anything else alone...I'm not going to turn my back on you," she explained.  
" **I LOVE YOU**!" I snapped.

My eyes shut instantly.

"It's incredibly hard to to accept this but I am **DEEPLY IN** **LOVE** with you!" I said again.

 **~ o ~**

His words made my heart skip a beat. He wasn't looking at me and his tone sounded like a mad mix of anger and sadness.

"I'm not supposed to feel this way about anyone because **NOTHING** good can come of it!" he continued.

I attempted to say something but he continued on.

"I've known you for barely a month... _ONE MONTH_ and I can't get you out of my head no matter how hard I try...it's **maddening** ," he said.

He had to have been bottling this up for a long time to be reacting like this; I've never heard him so disheartened and... _scared_?

"I'm going think of you in every single decision I make and that's not going to help the group...it will affect my judgement and most of all, it will make me irrational because I would do _**ANYTHING**_ to not put you in danger so if you thought I was reckless **BEFORE**? That's **NOTHING** compared to how I'll be...if..."  
"If what?"

He turned to look at me, clearly still deep in conflict in his mind. He just admitted the way he felt about me...and he thought it was a **_bad_ ** thing? He opened his eyes.

"If this,"

I barely got to react as he placed his lips on my forehead, kissing it gently. I blushed profusely at the gesture as he moved back.

"I tell myself that I shouldn't allow myself to care so much...but I can't help it when it comes to you," he explained.

He then turned away, his face now drained of happiness and replaced with regret.

"I'm...sorry," he said.

His eyes closed.

"I didn't want to say anything anymore...but when I was stuck in that form...you were the only thing that kept me going," he said.  
"W-W-What?" I said in surprise.

He looked away.

"The guilt I felt for holding a grudge against you for something you did not commit...the sorrow I felt about losing the last of my family and the rage that kept me trapped within my own primal instincts...there were a few times I contemplated just letting them end it all but I wanted to come back to everyone...to the group that we now call our family and most importantly...to _you_ ," he said.

He shook his head and turned around.

"Everything I just said has been long since coming...and the last thing I wanted to do was to make everything awkward and strange...which I'm positive I just did," he continued.

He tried to leave but I immediately ran ahead of him as I looked at him.

"Why are you running away from what you feel?' I asked.

He looked at me, still deep in conflict mentally.

"Have you ever once considered how _**I**_ might feel?" I asked.

I would be lying if I said I didn't understand the conflict but at this point, I didn't care; I felt quite strongly for him too. He wasn't the definition of a dream guy...not by any stretch of the imagination but after having been through so much with him, he really grew on me. I didn't even pause to consider my own feelings...not until I started having those dreams about him.

Those two years felt like an eternity...I blamed myself for not being brave enough to have done something when I was younger about my father's slave trading activities him and I punished myself everyday he was gone for it...but once he told me that he didn't blame me...it was like I confirmed my feelings for him. Sure he took life very seriously but considering that he became the de-facto leader of the group and he's the main reason that a lot of us are still around...especially me. He was always there for us. He took good care of everyone...and I loved how kind he was. The fact that he didn't blame me...and the fact that he had the courage to tell me how he feels despite how stubborn he is...it confirmed everything I was feeling. I now knew for sure that I would rather face the problems than keep it in.

I leaned my body over his and wrapped my arms around his head.

"...It's okay to feel Takashi," I whispered.

His eyes suddenly widened and before he could retort, I captured his lips in a kiss. He froze completely and I could hear his heart pounding heavily against his chest. As quickly as the contact came, it disappeared. I looked at him to see that his eyes were still in complete shock; he clearly didn't expect me to react the way I just did...then he closed his eyes and turned away.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

I put a hand on his cheek, causing his face to snap back and focus on me.

"Don't be..."

His face was sincere but I could see deep fear in his eyes. So I did what came naturally...

 **~ o ~**

"Kiss me again..." she whispered.

I couldn't believe my ears. I opened my mouth to retort but I was once again silenced by her finger.

"Don't talk...just do what I say," she whispered.

I took a breath and leaned towards her once more. She responded by tightening her grip around my head as I allowed my arms to cradle her. I barely got to process the position before she pulled me in to kiss her again. I had no clue what I was doing but the fact that she didn't pull away made me believe I was doing something right. I tried to move but my legs refused to respond; the impulses my brain sent futile impulses for my limbs to move but my arm was perfectly content resting on the small of her waist. Those few seconds felt like days...days of **pure bliss**.

It finally came to an end when she pulled away but just above me to look into my eyes.

"This...was **not** how I thought this would unfold," I said, still stunned.  
"Expect the unexpected," she replied.

I leaned my forehead against hers, my lips just centimeters away from hers.

"...I'm not going anywhere again...I'm _yours_ ,"

She smiled, tears now filling her eyes as she stroked my cheek.

"You promise?"  
"With all of my heart,"

She allowed her head to rest fully on mine.

"You have no idea...how happy it makes me to hear you say that..."

I brought my lips to hers once more and she happily accepted. The heat of the moment grew more intense with every yearlong second until I found myself sinking back to the bed, my body suddenly unable to handle the insane amount of pleasure going through every vein and artery. She seemed to pick up on my weakness and stopped kissing me to look into my eyes. She was panting very softly.

"Show me how much you love me," she whispered.

Her tone was a maddening mix of innocence and sincerity. My brain froze at the feel of her body against mine as she lay down fully on me. She brought my hands to her waist, almost as if she were urging me to go further. As much as I hated to admit it, I would find myself staring at her body every now and again. She didn't have to have a large chest nor supple thighs to be attractive; she was more than beautiful enough for me just the way she was. It wasn't like me to be a pervert…but this was a time that I just couldn't avoid it. She compressed the width of her shoulders, allowing her sundress straps to drift downwards and reveal much more of her torso. Her long platinum hair was still let out as usual and it was one of the things I found most attractive about her; she took such excellent care of herself that I could hardly think of a time that she didn't cause my jaw to drop open.

She ran her hands up my shirt, feeling my abs and chest and once again, electrifying every nerve in my body.

"Don't be afraid," she said.

I didn't even think it was possible for her voice to become more sweet...but it did. That was all the encouragement I needed. My hands groped harder and I leaned my body into hers, eliciting her completely unique type of moan that made my temperature rise several degrees.

"I don't care about the risks you take…nor the things you do…all I want at the end of the day...is to know that you'll come back to me and still be the same man I fell in love with..." she said.

Tears began to well up within my eyes and soon, they started to flow. She smiled at me as I brought my lips to her ear.

"You...have made me the happiest man alive," I said.

My hands removed the troublesome sweater shielding her upper body from my eyes to reveal a white bra with crimson linings. My eyes indulged in the gorgeous view before me…and **boy** was it a view.

She threw the shirt aside before unbuttoning my own slowly, making sure my lips stayed warm in hers. I allowed her to push the shirt off my body and she toss it aside before meeting my lips once more, her small hands coming to rest on my now exposed chest. She was an _amazing_ contrast to the cold night air with her comforting body heat and I couldn't help but pull her closer in order to feel more. She encouraged me to touch and fondle as she guided my hands from her waist back to her chest, never once interrupting the now intense action between our hungry tongues. I squeezed gently, absolutely loving how soft and warm she felt and my actions earned me moans, filled to the brim with longing.

 _ **"Keep going…"** _ she growled.

While I still retained some form of control over my actions...her carnal desire was evidently beginning to take over. Her rapid heartbeat, her change in tone and even the strength of her grip began to show how quickly her hormones were taking over. I swallowed some air as I nervously pulled the button on her black shorts. She removed her arms from my neck and allowed it to fall, revealing the matching panties.

 _"Goddess give me strength…"_

I wasn't one to view much below the face...but considering the entirely new level of sex appeal that was sitting before me, I had no choice. **EVERYTHING** , from her flawless face and captivating crystal eyes to her lovely platinum hair and adorable smile already had my attention by the throat...but add that body of hers and I knew I hadn't the slightest chance of escaping the inevitable breaking point where I become just like any other man.

Her body was definitely more fit than it was before; her figure was clearly defined, her core was well built and curves and contours galore awaited my starving eyes. She trained well during the two years I was gone and I just couldn't get over how good that underwear looked on her…it was absolutely **maddening**. Her flawless skin was slightly pale but I expected no less; there wasn't much sunlight in these winter days. All in all...she was even more beautiful than the day I first met her.

She evidently noticed my gaze and blushed immensely, flinching a little in embarrassment.

"Don't hide yourself...you're an angel," I said smoothly.

She responded by pulling me down, sinking to her back and pressing my face near her chest. I took another deep breath as I kissed her breasts. Her moans coupled with her hands pushing my head down more indicated that she held no objection. My hands made their way to the strap of her bra before snapping it off smoothly. I removed the garment and tossed it into the basket behind me and once I turned back to face her, my eyes froze on her chest.

 _"Perky…"_

I gazed at her hardened nipples as my curious hands gently began to tease and touch them. Her moans became intense and she squirmed under my touch, her body obviously having problems processing the sheer pleasure my actions were sending through every nerve involved. My fingers were soon replaced by my mouth and my restless tongue anxiously began to move over the newly exposed skin. She started to cry out and I was thankful that the room was the one on the highest floor, otherwise she probably would've alerted someone by now.

"More…more…" she pleaded.

My eyes then reached her panties. I teasingly drew them off of her and lowered my head down to her womanhood before kissing it. Her hands began to dig into my scalp and her legs wrapped around me, non-verbally begging me to never stop the flood of pleasure I sent through her with every action. I obeyed her pleas; darting, exploring and doing my best to satisfy her. She let out restless breaths as she lifted her head up and pulled me up by my hands back to her lips but not before I wiped her essence off my face with my hand.

Her facial expression said one thing: _**lose the pants**_.

I obeyed the non-verbal message only for her to push me onto the bed and pin me to it. She once again ground her hips into mine, driving me _absolutely_ insane with the flood of hormones that accompanied the sensation of her womanhood against my bulge. It was so intense, I let out a sound half way between a gasp and a hiss. She snickered softly as I quickly kicked my boxers off.

She lowered herself onto me, sheathing me completely inside of her. Her eyes shut tight in what I assumed to be pain until she started to pant. After several seconds of getting used to the feeling, her face appeared intoxicated with pleasure as I heard her cry out after a particularly hard grind. I shut my eyes tightly as she continued with every single bounce sending one hell of a shockwave through my body. She panted heavily between moans as she sped up.

After what felt like years of frantic hip thrusts, I flipped our positions. She leaned up to my ear once more.

"Don't hold back…"

Her tone was now frenzied and heavy and after taking one look at her face, I saw that her face appeared almost completely intoxicated with pleasure. I obeyed her as I began to thrust, speeding my pace until I thankfully sensed no pain in her thoughts. Every maddening thrust familiarized me more with her feel and warmth, sending my brain into an overdrive of euphoria and her now painless moans only added to it; I really did not have to hold back if she wasn't in pain.

After what felt like an eternity later, I began to tire; my hips began to reach the limits of their use and my breathing became much more about keeping oxygen inside of me rather than from the pleasure.

As if she sensed my moment of weakness, she leaned up, pushed me to the pillow behind my head and straddled my body with her legs. Before I could question why, she eased me back inside of her. Unlike before where I felt in control, the feeling did a complete 180. Instead of the euphoria that I was satisfying her, it was the other way around. I allowed her to develop a pace of her own, at first slowly but surely picking up speed until we were right back to my pace that exhausted itself only mere minutes ago.

She continued to encourage me to touch and fondle when she pulled my tired hands onto her body and I obliged, plunging a nipple into my mouth while my hands held onto her backside, feeling the softness in its pure and heavenly entirety. Her skin was so soft that I considered using her as a pillow rather than the disappointing feather filled sacs behind me. I moved to the other nipple after a few seconds but I soon allowed myself to sink back to the pillow, my brain barely able to process the relentless barrage of pleasure she sent through me with every bounce. My hands fell to my sides as I was assaulted more and more with heat and bliss until Ayame finally stopped, raising her head skyward as she cried out. Her walls tightened and I felt a spill on my abdominal region. Feeling adrenaline going though my body and somehow regaining my energy, I gathered my senses and flipped our positions.

I took the opportunity to examine her face. She was sweating profusely, her face was pink with the heat and her eyes looked pleadingly into mine. I couldn't help but smile at her as I slowly eased myself inside of her once again. In response, she flung her arms around my neck and held me close. My lower body went on auto pilot as I continued the assault of pleasure I started before. I did my best to resist the carnal urges to be rough rather than gentle but with every moan and cry she released, it drove me more and to the edge until finally, I gave in.

My hands gripped her waist and I leaned back from her embrace before raising her legs up with my hands and continuing at a pace I didn't even know I was capable of without a shot of adrenaline. She didn't seem to mind the sudden change of pace and seemed to embrace it as her moans and cries turned to heavy pants of my name and "oh". I felt myself begin to tire and a pressure built up inside of me until I felt myself give off a shot inside of her. Instantly, the energy from the adrenaline vanished and I collapsed onto her body, hopefully slowly enough to not hurt her. When she stroked the back of my head, I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn't hit her bones with any such force.

I pushed myself off of her, landing next to her as she snuggled up next to me.

"...I didn't see that happening either..." I said, blushing furiously.  
"...Neither did I," she replied.

I let out a heavy breath.

"I'm not looking forward to all of the teasing Nana, Matilda and Hestia are going to do to us tomorrow..." I sighed.  
"I don't care what they want to say," replied Ayame.

I chuckled nervously.

"They...actually encouraged me to never let go of my feelings because they all believed that you would come back to me...and you did,"

I pressed my forehead against hers and kissed her cheek.

"Of course I'd come back,"

I closed my eyes and embraced her as I felt the sleep begin to takeover.

 _"This is my home,"_


	13. A New Ally

**(A/N): Alright! This is now officially the point in which _Children Of Hades can freely crossover into here._**

 **We did loads of planning out so you can count on there being some fun things happening as far as crossovers go.  
**

 **Hope you all are enjoying the story so far, now let's get back to it shall we?**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: A New Ally**

* * *

 **The Following Morning- The Katrina Inn**

 _"Thank you for all your help,"_  
 **"It was a noble cause...I hope you put a stop to these criminals,"**

I removed the saddle and reins from the horse's body and rubbed his head once more.

 _"Take care of yourself and perhaps we'll meet again one day,"_  
 **"Take care of yourself Elf...and also your woman,"**

I looked back to see Ayame talking to the innkeeper, getting some food for the trip back to Orario. I blushed furiously at the horse's words.

 **"She's a beautiful one...might I ask the story between you two?"**  
 _"I rescued her from the Dungeon...and it was a back and forth battle of survival where she and I ended up having to survive on our own amongst other things,"_  
 **"She means a lot to you then,"**

I nodded.

 _"More than you can imagine,"_

Ayame returned to us and smiled.

"Are we ready to go?" she asked.

I nodded as I took the bag from her.

"Shouldn't be a far walk to the carriage station," I said.

The horse galloped off back towards the woods.

"I guess you asked him for help?" she asked.  
"I helped him escape one of the trader camps so he said he would help me until I didn't need him anymore," I replied.

She shook her head.

"Kind even to animals," she teased.  
"When you can talk to and understand them, it comes naturally I suppose," I replied.

I looked towards the road.

"Let's go home,"

* * *

 **Five Hours Later- The Kaneshon**

"That'll be 2,000 Valis," said Mira.

The customer handed her a small pouch and she emptied it into the chest before handing it back to him.

"Thanks for coming!" she said with a bright smile.  
"Thanks for the help,"

The man left the store but much to Mira's surprise, Ayame walked in right after he left. Mira almost tackled her in a hug.

"Where the heck have you been?! You missed dinner last night!" cried Mira.  
"I found an old friend,"

As if on cue, Takashi walked into the store and Mira could not believe her eyes. Takashi looked at her and smiled.

"It's been a while," he said.

He didn't get to retort before Mira almost tackled him in a hug.

"WHERE WERE YOU! YOU IDIOT!" she cried.

He wrapped a single arm around her back as the door opened once more to reveal Vanna. Takashi turned to face her, causing her to drop the crate she was carrying.

"I'm back," he said.

Vanna wordlessly approached him before punching him in the stomach...hard. He cringed for a moment but she immediately captured him in a deep hug.

"...Don't you dare leave for that long ever again," she snapped.

He laughed nervously.

"You got a lot stronger since I last saw you," he said.  
"I'm level 4 now," she replied.

His eyes widened.

"Looks like I have some catching up to do,"

 **"TAKASHI?!"**

The familiar voice of the one everyone called their mother filled the room as everyone looked to the back to see that Hestia had come down the stairs. Takashi made his way to her before crouching down and giving her a hug.

"I'm back...I'm sorry I was gone so long," he said.

Hestia turned the hug into a bone crushing one as tears of joy streamed down her cheeks.

"Welcome home," she cried.

Nana came down mere seconds after he released Hestia and repeated the same gesture, only three times as strong.

"Stupid little brother...out there worrying me to death," she cried.  
"I'm sorry... ** _sis_** ,"

She seemed absolutely thrilled to hear him call her by that as she kissed his forehead.

"I'm so happy that you're back...it wasn't the same without you," she said.

 **"TAKKUN IS BACK?!"**

Takashi sighed to himself and braced for the inevitable tackle as Matilda comically dove through the doorway and took him down the ground. Her massive bosom completely covered his face as she clung to him as if for dear life.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN TAKKUN!" she cheered.

In typical Matilda fashion, the dress she was wearing somehow managed to make itself scarce, slightly tearing at the compromising angle she held him in. Nana rolled her eyes and pulled Matilda off of him as he got to his feet.

"Where are the Lee sisters? And Akio?" asked Takashi.  
"In the dungeon along with the rest of the familia," replied Hestia.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Rest of?" he asked.  
"It's grown a lot since you've been gone," explained Nana.  
"A new member joined us yesterday and since you were gone, two others joined as well," continued Vanna.

He nodded slowly as he looked at himself.

"A friend of mine told me that we were planning to go into the dungeon today?" he asked.

Hestia shook her head.

"There's a more pressing matter at the moment," she said.

She unraveled a scroll.

"I'm aware of the slave trader activities that you were tracking in all that time you were gone," she said.  
"We have reason to believe that one of the big names in the business is staying here in Orario...and finds most of their business in the Underground Arena," said Nana.  
"One of them did say that now that you mention it," said Takashi.

Nana nodded again.

"If we can figure out how they get across to the mainland, we can probably figure out how to put it to an end," said Vanna.  
"I heard that some of them would even be there tonight," said Mira.

Takashi put a hand to his chin.

"So how do we proceed?" he asked.  
"I have a few friends who want to help with this; they hate the slave trading business just as much as we do," said Hestia.  
"And who are they?"

She smiled brightly.

"We'll be meeting them for dinner at the Hostess Of Fertility but for now...you need to get yourself some new gear," said Nana.

He nodded slowly as he turned to Ayame.

"I'll be back later then," he said.

He then put two fingers in his mouth before whistling a peculiar tone. Within seconds, Fang showed herself before running to her master's side. He smiled and crouched down, allowing her to rub her head against his cheek.

 _"It's so good to see you again,"_  
 _ **"Master...how I've missed you...these seasons just weren't the same without you,"**  
_ _"I'm not leaving like that ever again...and I'm sorry for being gone so long,"_  
 _ **"It was something you had to handle on your own...I don't blame you for taking your time because your mother was everything to you,"**  
_ _"...She was..."_

He got to his feet.

"I'll catch up with you guys after I get everything sorted out at the shops,"

* * *

 **Two Hours Later- The Hestia Mansion**

"Come on!"  
"I'm not telling you anything..."  
"Come on Whitey! You're no fun!"

Ayame rolled her eyes as she secured her cloak.

"You mean to tell me that you found him yesterday and spent a night with him and **NOTHING** interesting happened?!: cried Matilda.  
"I find that hard to believe too," said Nana.  
"Are you two going to bother me all day about this?" growled Ayame.

Nana suddenly had a devious smirk as she sniffed the air.

"You smell...a lot like him," she teased.

Matilda repeated the gesture and she snickered.

"You really do smell a lot like Takkun,"

Ayame turned away, a light blush appearing on her cheeks as she took a breath. Matilda continued to snicker.

"I'm happy for you...you really changed him when you came here," she said.  
"I...did?" asked Ayame.

Nana nodded.

"Takkun was never the kind of person who would be open to going out to drink at a tavern and he was always a lone wolf...now he's always smiling thanks to you," she explained.  
"...I didn't know he was so distant before," said Ayame.  
"Takashi was one of those lone wolfs who always chose to do the right thing over the smart thing," replied Nana.

She shook her head.

"I won't lie...at first I kind of felt for him because he saved my life all that time ago but I just couldn't bring myself to like him for that reason alone...and now here I am being a worried older sister to him," she said with a shrug.  
"I didn't have feelings for Takkun...but I'll be honest and said that I always found him to be incredibly attractive both visually and as a person; he's one of the kindest people you'll ever meet,"

Ayame let out a breath.

"I...didn't even realize I had these feelings for him...I only managed to find him by sheer chance when I decided to follow him into the forest,"  
"What do you mean?" asked Nana.

Ayame sighed.

"I saw a woman being mugged by the man that we captured so I tried to save her...but the man was too powerful and he had my back against the wall until Takashi saved me...he once again risked his life for me and did so without even hesitating...he knew he would die if that arrow hit him and he took it for me anyway," she explained.  
"Arrow?" asked Matilda.  
"The slave traders are coming up with ways to concoct poisons that even the most skilled of healers can't cure...the arrow that hit him should've killed him but then...my feelings awakened a power inside of me that allowed me to save his life...and I guess from that moment...I accepted that I really do care about him,"

Matilda's eyes widened.

"Wait...is that skill Lifestream?" she asked.  
"Yes...how do you know about it? Hestia herself didn't know anything about it," replied Ayame.

Matilda sighed deeply.

"It's an extremely rare skill...and one of the very few forms of magic capable of curing literally **any** kind of debilitating effect," she explained.  
"How do you know so much about it?" asked Nana.  
"Because it's a skill that any person who wants to act as a healer would kill to have...you're very lucky to have awakened it when you did," she said.

Ayame let out a deep breath.

"So...how good of a kisser is he?" said Nana with a wink.

Ayame's face turned to a tomato as she cleared her throat.

"I'll just meet you two at the Hostess..."

She tied her crimson cloak around her neck as left the room, leaving the snickering pair of Matilda and Nana.

* * *

 **Eliss's Shop, The Tower Of Babel**

"Are you all set?" asked Eliss.

Takashi nodded slowly.

"I didn't think that you'd still be here; I was sure you would've left Orario by now to go live in the north like you've always wanted," he replied.

She shook her head.

"I decided that I'd stick around...at least until I find a husband," she said with a wink.

Takashi smiled.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're still here Eliss," he said.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Are you getting all soft on me?" she asked.

He shook his head and continued to pack the armor he just bought into the bag.

"Worried about the person who came in last night?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"He's not going anywhere anytime soon; authorities will make damn sure of that...but what the hell are these traders doing? she asked.  
"Evidently trying to expand the business," he replied.

She nodded.

"That poison...that vial that he had on him isn't something that's readily curable by any of our healers...the only way I can cure it is by using a very high grade of Elven Purge complete with magic imbuing," she said.

He let out a deep sigh.

"I kept on their trail for a long time but I've never seen them like this before; they're getting smarter and their plans are becoming more fullproof so we have to act quickly before they really become a problem," he said.  
"I want to know how the hell you survived that arrow shot that was full of that poison," she said.

He looked at her in disbelief.

"How did you-"  
"I can smell the poison on your old armor...along with blood so I know you were hit with one of them,"

He looked away and closed his eyes.

"That poison should've sealed your fate but somehow, you're still alive...how did you survive?"  
"Ayame saved my life," he replied.

She looked at him in disbelief.

"Last I checked, Ayame doesn't know any sort of healing spells...let alone something that's of a high enough grade to cure that,"  
"I don't know what it is...it was some kind of healing rain or something and once I drank it, it completely cured me," he replied.

Eliss's eyes widened.

"You mean to tell me that she awakened _**Lifestream**_?!" she gasped.  
"What's that supposed to be?" asked Takashi.

She shook her head.

"It's one of the rarest skills out there right now...I've only met one other person who had that skill and that was nearly 25 years ago," she explained.  
"Is it that potent?" he asked.  
"The water produced by that skill has legendary healing properties and it's such an unbelievably rare skill that there isn't much in the archives about it," she replied.

He let out a breath.

"I guess I was lucky that she happened to have it then," he said.  
"That's not the juicy part though..."

She snickered.

"Lifestream's initial awakening can only be done with a great surge of emotional duress...which means Ayame had to have been in such a desperate need of wanting to save you that she would be willing to trade her own life if it meant that you could live...so those have to be some **very** intense feelings that caused it," she said.  
"What are you implying?"

She approached him before rubbing his head with her fist.

"It means that she loves you...and considering how much you smell like her, I'd say you spent last night letting her know just how much you love her too," she said with a wink.

He cleared his throat and shook his head.

"That's none of your business," he said.  
"Come on now kid; anyone with half a brain can see that you love her and you felt that way for her even before you left the city,"

He finished packing the bag before throwing it over his shoulder.

"...I do love her,"

Eliss looked at him, once again completely shocked.

"When I saw her again...after those two long years, I had no idea if she would still remember me or even want to see me again...and even though I was unsure of that, I still came to her rescue and I would risk my life without hesitation to keep her safe from anything...those feelings are the only reason I was able to revert back from the wolf form," he explained.

She smiled before grabbing him in an almost motherly hug.

"Take care of that girl Takashi...you're going to need her now more than ever now that your mother is no longer with us,"

He nodded; Eliss was one of the people that helped him find out more about his mother's whereabouts and it wasn't surprising that she knew of Emadriel's death.

"Thank you Eliss," he said.

She suddenly raised a finger.

"I almost forgot...I got this for you,"

She walked behind the counter and pulled out a pair of daggers.

"I know that you've been meaning to work on your close combat...so I had my sister make these for you while you were gone,"

He eyed the blades, noticing that the one on the left was glowing slightly green.

"Magic daggers?" he asked.  
"Not just any daggers...these puppies are loaded with the same magic that allows you to use Greensprout; I enchanted them myself," she said.

He accepted the weapons from her as he examined them.

"Both of them have the same life giving properties as your Greensprout spell and they're virtually indestructible...use them well," she said.

He sheathed them both in his belt and took a breath.

"I'll let you know what we decide to do once we meet with the others," he said.  
"I'll be waiting...those bastards are going to pay for all the people they've hurt," she said raising a fist.

With a final nod, Takashi left.

* * *

 **Later That Evening- The Hostess Of Fertility**

"Where are they?!" cursed Akio.  
"They have a bit of a tendency to run late...I'm sorry about that," said Hestia, scratching the back of her head nervously.

He rolled his eyes as Relia flicked him in the forehead.

"You've been on edge all day...now have a drink and calm down," she said.

Akio rolled his eyes as he took a gulp from his mug. Hestia looked to her right to see that Nana and Mira were still drinking and laughing loudly with a few of the top customers at the Kaneshon. Even though Mira was a lightweight, she still volunteered to be Nana's main drinking buddy. Vanna sat beside the two of them and was clearly disappointed in the two of them; there was an important task coming up for all of them to tackle and yet, they still wanted to get drunk. Finally, Takashi and Ayame were sitting in a booth to the far right of the room, eating in what seemed to be a very comfortable silence.

 _"I'm so happy for them..."_

Hestia couldn't help but feel a smile subconsciously form until the door opened.

"Well hello there my old friend!"

Hestia rolled her eyes.

"Well now, if it isn't Mr. Mom God himself," teased Hestia.

The self proclaimed "King Of The Underworld" was truly a very intimidating man, standing at 5' 10" and appearing very well built. His facial features almost always scared off the average person but Hestia knew him far better than just what he appeared to be. He was truly a benevolent god, taking great care of his familia and effectively serving as a father figure to them all. He wore an average looking black tunic with matching trousers along with a dark brown trenchcoat.

"Sorry I'm late; I had to take care of a few things on the way here," he said.  
"It's alright...so shall we get straight to it?" she replied.

He clasped his hands together and took a seat in front of her.

"We've much to discuss,"


	14. The Seven Dreams (Part One)

**(A/N): In the spirit of keeping this fun (as well as a DanMachi story), I'm gonna tone it down just a bit. Let's have some fun this time shall we?**

 **Special thanks to Cyberweasel89 for handing off the entirety of the Hades segment for this chapter as well as a tremendous amount of the content here. This chapter is heavily inspired from a Bleach episode that we both saw. I'll leave it to you all to figure out which one of them it is.**

 **Now because this was such a long piece (a staggering 60 pages), we decided to split it off into two pieces so if you want the second half to this, go ahead and look out for it in an upcoming _Children Of Hades_ chapter. I mainly decided to split it into two to give you guys a chance to see Cyberweasel's style in order to determine whether or not you'll be reading her story as well (though I highly encourage you to because she's really good and she's got an _incredible_ creative mind).**

 **This one's special cause well, there's something for all you Bestia fans out there! And this is one of the few times that I make an exception to my 10,000 word rule (if I didn't, I'm sure she would've beaten me into the floor).**

 **Now then...let the games begin!**

* * *

 **WARNING: Sexual Content Ahead, or rather, VERY ECCHI CONTENT AHEAD.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: The Seven Dreams (Part One)**

* * *

It was soon after Hades entered that six others entered with him.

The first was a woman dressed in little more than a garment made of leaves, her skin tanned, bare arms and legs past the knees and elbows looking like tree bark, and hair like long green grass with flowers in it. No... GROWING in it. She was grasping a wooden pole in one hand. She was probably a Spirit, no doubt nature element-aligned.

"This is Morlin Debma, the Captain of my Familia and my wife." Hades introduced the woman next to him in a calm, almost cold manner, who smiled in a motherly way and gave a leaf-skirted curtsy in a clearly joking manner.

The second was a Dark Elf in a full suit of heavy metal armor, a full-face visored helmet held in the crook of his arm, and a double-edged longsword sheathed at his back with a shield.

"This is the commander of my Veteran Squad, Runemeyer Ravengale." Hades introduced the man calmly.

"It's nice to meet my Father's fellow deity, and one so close to him. However, I must turn down any offers for festivities. Maplehoof is hitched just outside, and I would hate to leave her waiting," the man stated sternly.

 _"That's his horse"_ interjected Morlin, leaning in with her hand next to her mouth as if it was a conspiratory secret.

The next was a Runarl young woman in pale green and cream white leather ranger armor, an English longbow and quiver of arrows strapped to her back. Her fur and hair were all brown, her wispy locks tied into a medium-height fox tail-like ponytail with a white band of cloth that doubled as a blindfold. Despite her eyes being covered, she walked in just fine, if somewhat slowly, and made no sound in her movements.

"This is Runemeyer's second-in-command of the Veteran Squad, Lucia Sherwood." Hades introduced her.

Lucia merely nodded to Hestia, Akio, and Relia's table, not saying anything. She didn't nod directly at them. Just their table in general. It was quite hard to tell if she really was blind or had some other manner of seeing.

"This is one of the newer members of my Familia. She joined with two others in the Rookie Squad, and has been a member of the Veteran Squad for some time."

The girl standing there was a ginger, red hair in a high-set ponytail, bright green cat-like eyes, and pale freckled skin. Her tail and ears indicated she was a Cat Person of the Turkish van breed, known commonly as 'the water cat' for their unusual (for a cat) affinity for water. She was dressed in a full-body set of armor consisting of a chainmail body suit with leather boots, steel greaves, a steel cuirass, and some steel-backed leather gauntlets, a faceless helmet held in one arm. A gold staff about as long as the Cat Person was tall, red gems on either end, was strapped to her back. It was kind of odd, a girl in close quarters combat armor carrying a gold staff as a weapon, when such a weapon would be more suited to a spellcaster. Her eyes gazed at the three members of the Hestia Familia seated at the table through a set of reading glasses, a calm, yet friendly expression on her face, not quite a smile, not quite a frown.

"A pleasure to meet you Goddess, Hestia Familia. I'm Rooster Ringabelle. I admit, I'm not very confident, but I hope to help Dad and you all however I can."

It was normal for most members of the Hades Familia to refer to the God of the Underworld with paternal terms. He truly was a father to his men.

"Finally, this is Leon Elekor. He Converted to my Familia from the Freya Familia at the same time Rooster graduated from the Rookie Squad to the Veteran Squad," Hades explained.

The young man with dark green eyes and medium length dirty blonde hair seemed elven, but since his ears weren't as long as a usual Elf, he must have been a Half-Elf. Dressed in plate mail armor and carrying a large kiteshield and a spiked mace on his back, he stood next to Rooster, a calm, serious expression on his face.

"It's an honor to meet you, Goddess Hestia. Hades has spoken well of you. I can only hope that I can be of use to you," he said.

He bowed respectfully to Hestia, causing her to smile at his good manners.

"My Familia's Lieutenant, Morn Rower, could not be here, as he's performing some undercover work in the Red Lantern District's underground arena, known to the locals as the Shitz Pit. However, I did bring a friend of the Familia whose unique skills as a scout helped us gather information leading to the Shitz Pit's location in the Red Lantern District. This is Alivia Sable, and she's a member of the Hermes Familia."

There was... no one there. Rather, a Himalayan-breed Hume Bunny dressed in black and white padded clothing and carrying a blowgun was excitedly chatting up Nana and Mira over at the bar.

"She's a little eccentric, but she's probably just as much a member of our Familia as she is the Hermes Familia." Morlin explained, casting a nurturing glance at the Hume Bunny scout as she ordered some mead to drink with Mira and Nana.

"I'm sorry to tell you, Hestia, but the leaders of my Familia, my oldest children, likely won't be able to help in the arena. Being so high-Level, they're quite well-known, so the people in the Red Lantern District who run the arena will no doubt see them coming a mile away, and since Hero's Shade recently passed away, we won't be able to make use of his powerful illusion magic. Hopefully my entire Veteran Squad and their Supporters will make due."

Hades took a breath, though it was almost imperceptible.

"However, Alivia was able to find out exactly where the underground arena is. With Morn Rower stationed there as a mole, he should be able to get most of your Familia and my Veteran Squad in as customers or even as gladiators. Who fills what role, of course, will be up to your individual members," he continued.

Hestia looked to Akio and Relia and nodded.

"We'll have to have a talk with everyone about that," she said.  
"Indeed," replied Akio.

Hades cleared his throat.

"Morn Rower has sent word to us that Berkley Stern is arriving in town within the next week or so to sell his most favored slaves as prizes for a battle royale, free-for-all match...we will need to divide our children between gladiators to distract the fighters, spectators to distract the crowd, and an infiltration team to find him in his private VIP booth. For good measure, I would suggest a fourth team to free any slaves in reserve at the arena, lest those lunatics try to use them as hostages should he be on to us,"

Hestia smiled at the man almost twice her height, impressed.

"Your Lieutenant and your Hermes Familia scout are quite talented, Hades," she said.

Hades' face turned dead serious, despite already having a very stern expression.

"This man and his slavers have hurt my children. I believe a job should be done thoroughly so it does not need to be done again. In the case of this man who has hurt my sons and daughters, I feel it is my duty to insure I humiliate him, if not **decimate** him,"

The entire Hostess of Fertility seemed to drop in temperature. Even before, with his serious expression, massive height, and intimidating air, Hades had a great deal of unnerving presence to the bar patrons. Now, with this air of tranquil fury about him, one could swear the pub had frozen over. It was a hand from his wife on his shoulder that raised the temperature in the Hostess back to comfortable levels, causing all to release a breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding.

"Morn Rower will send word to us when Berkley Stern arrives and the match date is announced. Until then, we have one or two weeks to train or relax for this operation," the dryad explained.  
"Do you always refer to your Familia's lieutenant with his full name?" Akio asked, once he'd relaxed enough to not feel as intimidated by the God of the Underworld.  
"Yes," both Hades and Morlin answered at once.

Relia nodded.

"Well...we've trained very hard for a long time and we haven't exactly found a way to unwind," said Akio.

Hades smiled. A small, subtle smile that the generally calm and cold God of the Underworld rarely showed.

"Might I make a suggestion?" he said.  
"What do you have in mind?" asked Hestia.

Hades turned to Rooster and nodded to her, as if giving her permission to speak.

"I...heard of a really nice tourist attraction down south, there's a really nice park as well as a nice inn that we can stay at," she said.  
"You mean The Seven Dreams?"

Hestia jumped upon hearing Takashi's voice. She didn't even notice that he had crossed the room and was now standing behind her.

"I visited there about a year ago...it really is a nice place and there's also a beach there," he explained.

Hades raised an eyebrow.

"So you're the Ranger that I've heard so much about...you do very good work," he said.  
"Thank you Master Hades," replied Takashi, bowing in respect.

Ayame had also cleared the distance and was now standing beside Takashi.

"It will be about a day of traveling on horseback," she said.  
"Let me worry about the traveling," said Relia with a wink.  
"So it's settled then?" asked Hades.  
"Wait...we're all going?" asked Akio.  
"Everyone who wishes to go will meet up at the Kaneshon tomorrow," said Relia.  
"What are you going to do?" asked Akio.  
"An old friend of mine has been meaning to join us...but she had to take a trip outside of town and she should be back by now," she replied.

Hades simply nodded.

"I look forward to the experience. However, later, I would like a private chat with you, Hestia. I have information on this operation I cannot share in public, as any wall could have ears, but as my children all know, I feel you should let yours know. There is a reason I am so invested in this operation, and it is not because of the slavers, but who they have hired."

The stern, deadly serious look on the Mr. Mom God's face indicated that this information was important and highly sensitive, and he wouldn't be requesting the Oppai Loli Goddess speak to him in private if it weren't so. Hestia, seeing this was a grave matter, only nodded.

"Is there a place we can go that's okay to talk?"

Hades nodded.

"Step outside with me."

Her Familia understanding, Hestia stood up and followed Hades outside, surprised to find a 16-year-old young Boaz standing there, holding a lute.

"Hiya, there, Hestia! Name's Darude, best Supporter and only magic bard in Orario!"  
"Darude, if you would."  
"You got it, Papa!"

The young man began strumming a melodious nocturne on his lute. As the song got going, all noise around them quieted, even the song barely audible.

"Darude is quite talented, and his talents are rather unique. With his music playing right now, no one can hear us speak." Hades explained calmly.

Hestia smiled up at the tall God.

"That's useful. So, what did you want to tell me?"  
"Berkley Stern has hired some muscle to police his Slavers. They call themselves the Familia of the Discarded Scabbard. They were once a Familia so violent and aggressive, as well as ruthless, that their God was banished back to Heaven. However, rather than retire or Convert, they chose to continue their bloody violence in the name of their fallen God. They live only for the thrill of the fight, would kill anyone if it meant they could feel adrenaline pump through their veins, and not being in a Familia nor entering Orario very often, the Guild has little they can do to penalize them. My children have had multiple run-ins with them. I mentioned Hero's Shade is no longer with us. It saddens me to say that it was one of the members of the Familia of the Discarded Scabbard, a man who goes by Hatred, that murdered him in cold blood when he tried to defend my child Rooster."

Hestia's eyes widened.

"I can see why you consider this personal."

Hades, clearly restraining his anger with remarkable self-control, merely nodded.

"Rest assured, as they have no God to update their Statuses, the members of the Familia of the Discarded Scabbard do not grow stronger, but many are already Level 4 and above. Hatred, who murdered Hero's Shade, is a Level 6, and their leader, End, is the only Level 7 outside of Orario, and theorized to be one of only three Level 7 Adventurers in the world. My own wife, Morlin, is one of the others."

Hestia bit her lip, realizing this would be more difficult than she thought.

"Are you certain your leaders can't be of assistance?"

"The best my leaders can do is ensure our children are fully equipped with all the best armor, weapons, items, and potions that will give them an edge. My daughter Elga is among the best Mixers of potions in Orario, while Frobo is among the best blacksmiths, and Pyre can craft Magic Items. If they can at all help your children be better equipped, I urge you to utilize their services. My Lieutenant Morn Rower will provide assistance during the operation, as well, but among my leaders, he is the only one below Level 6. Still, I would trust his strength with my very life."

Hestia then put a hand to her chin.

"I'm curious why you would suggest we relax instead of train, then, Hades."

Hades sighed. An old, tired sigh he likely wouldn't show with anyone who was a member of his Familia.

"My Familia are my children. I pray they never have to fight a war, but if they do, I would want them to enjoy themselves while they can. It is better to have happy memories going into a battle than to be tired and scratched up. While we Gods are eternally unchanging, our children are mere mortals. They must enjoy themselves while they can, for they will not be able to have fun forever."

 **~ o ~**

Inside, the ginger Cat Person of Hades's Familia, Rooster Ringabelle, cast a glance at the two full-blooded Elves in the Hestia Familia. They way they stood near each other, touched, spoke. She could just tell…

"They're happily in love,"

She watched the way Takashi held Ayame's hand, the way he smiled at her and that even though he was known for being a very serious Ranger, he was as soft as clay whenever it came to the silver haired sorceress sitting next to him.

"Is something wrong Rooster?"

She turned to see that Leon had suddenly appeared, holding two mugs. He tended to do that surprisingly often for a paladin.

"I brought you a drink...don't worry, I made sure it's not alcoholic," he said with a light chuckle.

She smiled and gratefully accepted it before taking a large gulp.

"That must be Ayame Aledria...she's one of the very few Adventurers who possesses the Lifestream skill so her reputation gets around," he said.  
"Yeah...that's an incredibly useful skill to have," replied Rooster.

Leon sighed deeply.

"I have to admit...we've gone through a lot of things these past few months,"

Rooster held back a cringe, remembering Leon holding her crying in his arms after Hero's Shade sacrificed himself to save her from Hatred.

"We really have...I'm actually kind of excited about this trip; I've heard The Seven Dreams is a really nice place," she said.  
"It is indeed...hopefully now my mother can get some rest because she's been working so hard as of late,"

Rooster smiled; typical Leon Elekor always thinking of his mother Elisia. There were very few things that could get Leon to not focus on the true goal of something. Rooster placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You need to relax too; you've worked harder than most of us, especially in the Dungeon," she said.

Leon shook his head but Rooster flicked him on the forehead.

"Promise me that you'll get some rest and actually try to enjoy yourself at this thing?" she asked.

Leon rolled his eyes, but sighed in defeat.

"I'll make no promises...but I actually wanted to ask you something," he said.

She raised her eyebrow as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"There's a restaurant at The Seven Dreams...known for their amazing seafood so...I was wondering if you'd do me the honor of...letting me take you on a date there?"

She looked at him in disbelief. A date? The bookworm quickly searched through her memory for whether any books she read mentioned dating… Let's see… Fairy tales… Novels… No, it was mostly just whirlwind and fate. Date… Date… Oh, wait! What was it? She MIGHT'VE glanced at some kind of dating guide at a bookstore, but she didn't get it or do more than skim. Realizing she was leaving Leon hanging, and her pale, freckled face was blushing neon red in a manner that almost matched her hair to boot, the Magic Knight stammered out a response.

"Uh… Y-Yeah, that, um… That sounds like the bee's knees."

And then she promptly kicked herself in the head, mentally, for saying something that stupid. Much to her surprise however, the paladin simply laughed nervously before giving her a genuine smile.

"I look forward to it," he replied.

Rooster had to admit, had this moment been two years ago, she would've wondered what the odd feeling in her chest was. By now, she knew, but still… One request for a date doesn't mean anything… does it?

 **"OH JUST KISS ALREADY!"** a collective shout from the bar sounded.

Rooster and Leon both gave a tandem jump at the sudden cacophony. It seemed it was Mira, Nana, Matilda, and-

"Alivia!" Rooster scolded. "Not you too?!"

The Hume Bunny scout from the Hermes Familia was leaning back against the counter, backwards in her stool, sipping a mug of mead with a smirk on her face.

"What can I say? Peer pressure, girl."  
"More like alcohol." the Magic Knight sighed, rubbing her temple with her leather-clad index and middle finger.

Runemeyer let out an exasperated sigh.

"If you'll excuse me, Maplehoof is outside, and I really do not wish to be around Miss Sable while she's… tipsy."

The Dark Elf knight turned and walked out of the tavern, though Lucia and Morlin stayed. The dryad turned to the Runarl archer.

"What about you, Lucy? You wanna stay, or are you leaving with Runey?"

The girl in the blindfold didn't look at her Familia's Captain, instead standing in place, her fox ears flicking at the sounds around her.

"I shall stay. I have to say, I'm… curious."

A mischievous smile came to Morlin's face.

"Takashi is at seven o'clock, sweetie. I'll be over at the bar, ordering some honey. Good luck!"

The blush on Lucia's face was repressed, but still evident. Turning, and taking careful, measured steps, she approached where the Elf Ranger was sitting at his table with Ayame.

"Well hello there," said Ayame, smiling pleasantly.

Takashi eyed the Runarl archer and closed his eyes.

"I'm guessing you're here because you're concerned for your two friends?" he asked

"What makes you say that?" asked Lucia.

"My…'sisters' are quite...troublesome," he replied.

The tone of his voice indicated that he must've experienced something similar in the past, causing Lucia to smile ever so slightly in amusement.

"I was actually just curious...how long have you two been… mates?"

Ayame opened her mouth to question but almost as if Lucia sensed the coming words, she raised a finger.

"Your two scents are intertwined so much that it's very obvious...not to mention I can hear Mr. Mashiro's heartbeat going at more than double the usual rate,"

Ayame was about to question how she knew, but Takashi spoke first.

"So, you really are-"  
"Blind? Yes. And you really are-"  
"The first man to live from that toxin going around and the first girl to be able to cure it? Yes."

Takashi smiled.

"Not very long...barely a few weeks," he replied.

Lucia nodded.

"I see. Then may I ask you some questions?"

Takashi didn't bother nodding. She wouldn't be able to see him do so, after all.

"You may. Would you like to sit down?"  
"No, and I honestly feel that-  
"Relax Miss Sherwood, it's just a friendly, polite offer; mere courtesy and it has nothing to do with your condition."

Ayame's pale white eyes darted between the two archers. She got the feeling there was… some kind of subtext to this conversation that only these two understood. Was it a similar background? The fact they were both archers?

"Forgive me. But I'd rather keep this relationship professional."

A pause followed as Lucia seemed to be finding the right words to say.

"At least for now."

Ayame noted Takashi, again, showed no physical reaction, not even an involuntary quirk of the eyebrow.

"As you wish. What did you want to ask?"  
"Well, as you know, one of the leaders of our Familia, Ms. Smiles, is a one of the best Mixers of potions and medicines in Orario, about on-par with the Miach and Dian Cecht Familia. Ms. Smiles feels that if she had a sample of Miss Aledria's Lifestream-infused storm water, she believes she would be able to Mix up a long-lasting, potent, portable, and versatile antidote for the poison the Slavers have created."  
"Interesting. Ayame, what do you think?"

Ayame looked back and forth between the two archers.

"If Miss Smiles thinks she can, I'd be happy to provide some later."  
"There you have it. Next question?" Takashi asked, bringing his drink to his lips.

Ayame found his tone was almost challenging in nature… But she got the feeling it was in a good way.

"I've heard talk you are the best archer in Orario." Lucia continued.

If she had been phased, she wasn't showing it. Takashi chuckled. It wasn't something he normally did, but Ayame got the sense he was forcing it so he'd have an audible way to respond to the blind Runarl.

"I wouldn't say that; someone in my own Familia is pretty close to me...but I still do not consider myself the best,"  
"Who do you-"  
"Obviously you; you're blind and you can hit a fly from a hundred meters away,"

Lucia showed clearly restrained discomfort at that. She quickly tried to mask any embarrassment with formality.

"I have no time for modesty, Mr. Mashiro. I'm curious… I recently attained Level 4 and gained the Fletching Development Ability."  
"That's good to hear! But what does that have to do with me?"

Ayame was starting to get something… Were these two… No, flirting was the wrong word… Maybe some kind of passive-aggressive challenging? Like a rivalry? Was Takashi was making Lucia say it clearly instead of suggesting it, or was she manipulating him into saying everything he did? Was it some sort of archer thing?

"I am… wondering if you would, um… be willing to show me your techniques for making arrows some time?"

Lucia was clearly embarrassed now. As Morlin watched the trio from the bar, she couldn't help but chuckle. It wasn't often their little Lucy was flustered; the Runarl archer clearly admired Takashi as a fellow archer, but hardly expected him to be as mentally sharp as his eyes were.

"Of course I will,"

Morlin made a mental note to give Takashi a pat on the back later for taking Lucia down a peg; the girl needed to learn how to relax, and being told such in a passive-aggressive playful way by one of the best archers in Orario may have been the best way to get that to happen.

Lucia clearly stopped herself before she jumped for joy like a giddy schoolgirl. Instead, she cleared her throat.

"I see. Well, thank you, Mr. Mashiro. I look forward to comparing our bows and sharing arrow-making techniques."  
"Maybe we could have lunch as well? It's no small technique and it will take time to truly showcase it,"

The blush on Lucia's face, despite her tan, was obvious.

"Th-That wouldn't be proper, Mr. Mashi-"

Ayame laughed softly, looking at Takashi and smiling brightly.

"Don't worry, I don't mind at all!" she interjected with a pleasant smile.  
"Uhh…" The blind archer tapped her fingers together in a nervous gesture.  
"I… M-Maybe if we have time in the coming wee-"  
"Lucy! You take that hot hunk of Elf Ranger up on that offer, or I _can_ and **will** sanction you!"

Lucia jumped at the sound of Morlin calling from the bar. Takashi nervously scratched his head upon realizing that Morlin was referring to him.

"That's an order from your Captain!" Mira shouted over from the other side of the bar.  
"Yep! Can't disobey a direct order!" Nana added.  
"Have fun!" Matilda called.

Lucia turned to shake her fist at the three.

"Drunks should be seen and not heard!"  
"Lucy...do I have to repeat myself?"

The voice coming from Morlin Debma, Captain of the Hades Familia and wife to the God of the Underworld, was pleasant and calm, and yet… carried all the chill of the underworld her husband was known for under its surface. Unlike Hades, however, it was directed only at one person. At the sound of it, Lucia felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and a shiver make a trip up and down her spine.

"On second thought, I'd be happy to take you up on that offer, Mr. Mashiro!" the blind Runarl stammered hastily, bowing repeatedly as if begging the Elf ranger for forgiveness.

Takashi looked at Ayame and shrugged; he had no idea that he was held in such high regard.

"If you come on the trip, I'd be more than happy to show you while we're at The Seven Dreams; it has a lot of Mirkwood Trees and that's my favorite type of material to fletch arrows from," he explained.

Lucia looked up, nodding.

"Th-Thank you very much, Mr. Mashiro! I… I really appreciate it!"  
"Careful there, Lucy! You face might explode with how red it is!"

THAT was Rooster. Lucia growled loudly.

 _"Even the emotionally oblivious person is all over me about this…"_

 **...**

It was a day later that the Hestia Familia, Hestia, Hades, Morlin, Hades Familia "Veteran Squad," and Alivia Sable from the Hermes Familia arrived at the Seven Dreams Inn.

Hades explained on the way that his Familia was divided into three groups for the safety of his individual children.

The leaders of his Familia were his oldest members, with Morlin as his Captain, and a High Elf who abandoned royalty named Morn Rower as his Lieutenant. Before leaving, he instructed his other leaders, all of whom were quite skilled in various crafts, to do their best servicing the Hestia Familia's weapons, armor, and crafting any useful potions, Magic Items, arrows, and other supplies they might need.

Below them were the Veteran Squad, which consisted only of the Hades Familia Adventurers that were Level 2 and above, plus more experienced Supporters.

Below that was the Rookie Squad for Level 1 Adventurers and newbie Supporters. The reason was not for any hierarchical reasons. Rather, it was so any Level 1 Adventurers wouldn't get in over their heads when the Veteran Squad went down to Rivira.

In addition to Hades, Morlin, Rooster, Leon, Runemeyer, his horse Maplehoof, Lucia, and Alivia, the rest of the Veteran Squad were coming on the trip. Hades had introduced them on the trip there.

Ian Moone was a silver-haired Werewolf who didn't seem to speak, but Hades explained he was a Level 3 Samurai class skilled in katana draw-and-resheath techniques. He seemed rather irate, but Hades insisted he just needed time to open up to new people, but advised them not to expect him to speak.

Tessa Thompson was a girl who, if not for her War Tiger stripes, ears, and tail, easily could have been mistaken for a Pallum. She was a Level 2 Supporter, a rarity among Supporters, and was quite useful due to a Skill that acted as an internal radar and a Spell that could scan things. With curly, golden blonde hair and deep blue eyes, she was very short and had a figure almost like a child, which she was rather sensitive about. In an emergency, she used a wrist-mounted crossbow.

Lleu "Ray" Macnia was a Pallum Lancer, currently Level 3. He was 16 years old and was also a former member of the Rookie Squad alongside Rooster, Ian, and Tessa before they reached Level 2. He was a bit jumpy, but Hades insisted that when in serious combat, he was a master of striking weak points with precision.

Sahgi Easter was a Hume Bunny wizard that dressed like a gentleman and wielded a cane. He seemed quite the womanizer, and mentioned having a "Cabbage Patch" of ten women and four men. His hair, and even his ears and tail, were an unusual purple color. He was Level 4.

Tairona Jamundi was an Amazon cleric, wielding a broom. Her Spells, while serving functions like healing, barriers, and buffing, were oddly elemental-based. Her personality was very gloomy, yet she paradoxically preferred wearing pink, complete with a big pink ribbon atop her head. She was Level 4, and needed no horse, nor to ride in the carriage since she could ride her broom, which was a Magic Weapon.

Darude Freebird was a young teenaged Boaz. Claiming to be the best Supporter in Orario, he was Level 3, and could inflict status conditions, buff, or debuff all enemies or all allies with magic songs on his lute, including curing and preventing status conditions from taking place, and a variety of other useful effects. He was quite high energy and immature, and preferred dressing the part of a bard to emphasize his unique abilities.

Jersey was a bit of an odd one. Overweight, she was a full cup size over Rooster, and two over Matilda, who were the second and third most buxom girls in their group, not counting Morlin who was Matilda's size. She wore a mantle that covered the top and sides of her head, but the rest of her could be seen. Her boots seemed like they didn't fit, since her gait was rather awkward in them. She was a Supporter, but had no Skills, Spells, Development Abilities, and refused to say her Level, with Hades requesting they honor that. She seemed very shy and timid, but opened up as long as any talk wasn't too intrusive. Morlin said she'd made great strides in becoming less shy in the past three years.

Sunny was twelve years old, half-Pallum and half-Dwarf. Though accompanying them to the Seven Dreams, Hades insisted that, as she was only twelve, had only been a Supporter for two years, and was still Level 1, she would not be coming with them into the arena. The little blonde girl of mixed race was disappointed, but said she understood.

As the carriages and horses pulled up to the inn, Darude rushed out alongside Sunny and Alivia, excited to be there. Tessa was next out, seeming a bit giddy herself. The reason was obvious to everyone in the Hades Familia present except for one: She was excited to see Rooster in a swimsuit.

Runemeyer insisted on hitching up his horse himself. While clearly a man of serious temperament, Hestia noted he had a very big soft spot for his pure white mare. She duly wondered if she should give Fang and Meiryo Falna like Maplehoof.

Hestia also got the feeling that Tessa had… an interest in Rooster. Despite being separate species, she referred to Ian as her brother. Between moments of verminophobia, androphobia, and mild agoraphobia, the Pallum-sized War Tiger in all-white looked at the ginger Cat Person in what Hestia knew all too well from looking at Bell Cranel was lust. She wasn't one to judge, of course, but it seemed Tessa herself was in denial over her own attraction to Rooster. Still, though, unlike what the Goddess of family, hearths, and architecture felt for Bell, Tessa's feelings for Rooster were only half of the equation. She didn't feel love for her fellow Hades Familia member. Just lust.

"You see it, don't you?"

Hestia jumped, looking to see it was Hades standing next to her. For a man so large and with such an intimidating presence, he was oddly stealthy.

"Yes, I am aware, Tessa's not quite emotionally healthy. But like all my children, she is who she is. While I encourage all my children to be better people, I also encourage them to embrace their flaws. Few realize that not everyone can be perfect. I encourage my children to be who they are, even if who they are isn't the best. They should not forsake their flaws, try to hide them, or try to correct them. They should realize their weakness… and turn it into their strength."

Hestia turned to glance over at where Bell, Liliruca, Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime were chatting with Rooster, Ian, Leon, and Ray. She couldn't help getting the feeling that Hades was more of a parent to his Familia that even she was. And she was the Goddess of, among other things, family!

"Do not get yourself down, Hestia. In the grand scheme of things, you are still new to the Familia business. I've been at it many more years than you have. I was actually quite looking forward to the day you descended from Heaven to join me here."

A small smile came to the oppai loli Goddess's face.

"Awww, did you miss me?"

Despite his generally cold nature, an undeniable, if small, smile came to Hades' face.

…

"Did we unload everything?" asked Akio.  
"That's the last of it, all we need to do now is set up and we're done," replied Takashi.

The carriages then rode off as Relia turned to a new face.

"Thank you so much for helping us Amaya!" she cheered.  
"It's no trouble at all and I'm glad I finally got the chance to Convert,"

The Runarl swordswoman known as Amaya Megumi was a long time friend of Relia and was a former member of Apollo familia. Left Familia-less after the War Game between the Apollo and Hestia Familia, Amaya had meant to Convert for months but she had to take repeated trips in order to thoroughly secure the fortune that she was left behind by her deceased parents. Amaya hailed from a traditional Runarl village from the southern side of the continent and spent most of her childhood training in the art of swordsmanship under her father. She received her Falna at the early age of six at her father's request and he began to train her...vigorously. By the time she was a teenager, she was very proficient with her signature dual blades in addition to being taught a great many skills by her mother, most notably Tailoring and Cooking.

However...when she became 16 years of age, tragedy struck. Noticing that her parents went on a routine trip outside of the village and did not return at the usual time, she and the village searched all over the area for them. Amaya was grief stricken to find them in a field, dead in each others arms along with a lot of other corpses. It was evident that they were ambushed by what appeared to be slavers or rogue adventurers and the only solace she could find in this was that her parents died together rather than alone.

Since that day, she was never the same. She spent a lot of time locked up inside the house that she locked up her family's home and ventured to Orario after several months of solitude, where she worked mostly on her own and continued to hone her skills. Now that she finally had the time to do so, Amaya Converted over to Hestia's familia that very morning. Seeing as she was rather well off, Amaya had no problems in asking some of her friends to help them transport everything they needed for the trip down in a few carriages.

"Enjoy yourselves!" said Amaya.  
"What? Where are you going?" cried Relia.  
"I have to take care of some things in town but I'll be back later tonight! I promise!" she said.

Relia gave her a deep hug as she walked away.

* * *

 **Meanwhile- The Changing Room, The Seven Dreams**

 _"What is this? Dental floss? Attached to three napkins?"_

Rooster stood in the inn's beach changing room tent, gazing at the unusually small pieces of cloth in her hands. Morlin had given it to her, saying it was the swimsuit she picked out for her before the trip, but… Was this really a swimsuit? What did she say it was? A micro… something? She had no idea there even WERE so many different types of swimsuits, let alone a micro whatever.

"What's the holdup, Rooster?"

Rooster turned to the sound of Nana, gasping at the sight.

Nana, Mira, and Matilda stood there. She was beginning to think of them as some kind of trio, or something. They were wearing what Rooster had to assume was swimsuits. Either that or she was hallucinating.

Nana was wearing a white two piece swimsuit which for some reason, really highlighted how defined her figure was. Her training and practice as a dancer as well as her long career as a wandering gypsy did wonders for her body and she was easily one of the more attractive women in Hestia's familia, arguably the most.

Mira on the other hand was clad in a black one piece that didn't really highlight much apart from the fact that she was quite slim. She was however a lot more defined and fit than she was before, no doubt due to all the training she did with that infamously huge scythe of hers.

While Matilda… was completely stark naked.

"M-Matilda! Wh-What are you-"  
"You get used to it." Mira explained with a casual shrug.  
"Why are you guys even wearing magic armor at the beach, anyway?" the Cat Person cleric asked, clearly confused.

Rooster had to reset her brain, trying to comprehend that absurd logic. She eventually came to the conclusion that Matilda's mind simply couldn't be grasped by "normal people." Not even when Rooster was the same species as her.

"It's not magic armor...do you have any idea what it's like to be at a beach?" asked Nana raising an eyebrow.  
"Of course I've been to beaches! Still can't figure out why everyone wears magic armor to them."

Rooster couldn't help thinking Matilda simply wasn't all there.

"Well, I've never been to a beach before. I've read about them in books, but I assumed showing this much skin so close to an ocean was… well, not exactly normal outside of them."  
"You've gotta loosen up a bit...I mean the whole purpose of this trip is to have fun and take a load off before we go back to kick some slaver ass," said Mira with a wink.

Rooster sighed. They didn't seem to realize the gravity of this upcoming mission into the arena. The slavers might not be a problem, but other Adventurers would probably be fighting as gladiators. Plus, there was the Familia of the Discarded Scabbard. They were small in number, but each one was a complete monster in combat. These three… didn't see the one called Hatred gaze at her with the clear intent to murder her in the most brutal way.

"I… I don't think-"

Nana then grabbed onto Rooster, her eyes now suddenly interested in her massive bosom.

"I never imagined I'd meet someone who's bigger than Matilda...what the hell do you Cat People eat to get this big?!" she gasped.

Matilda of course, being the happy go lucky girl she is, followed Nana's actions.

"I'm a little jealous of you!" she said with a giggle.  
"I… I'm sure there are other girls in the world bigger than… than me." The magic knight stammered, clearly uncomfortable at the sudden topic of conversation, and the sudden contact of what she considered a barely-dressed Nana.  
"Captain is a-about your size, Cleric, and Jersey is bigger than me…"

Nana then smiled evilly.

"So how do you think that hot half-elf paladin's gonna react to seeing this?" she teased with yet another wink, gesturing to the swimsuit in the still-dressed Rooster's hands.

Rooster was sure her pale, freckled face exploded in steam, turning as red as her hair.

"P-Paladin is just my t-teamma-"  
"Like hell he is! I see the way you look at him! Stop being bashful!" chuckled Nana.  
"Look at him? I'm… I'm merely appraising his combat potential! I'm his superior, a-after all…"  
"Yeah...can you _really_ say that when your eyes look like dinner plates?" snickered Mira.

If her face was as red as her hair before, it must have been glowing neon red now.

"C-Can we please just drop this topic of conversation? I need to get changed into these napkins, and I'd rather not undress with you three here."  
"Why do you have a problem with us here? And why would you wear napkins?" Matilda asked, clearly confused.

Rooster was beginning to doubt they were, in fact, the same species.

"...I've noticed that he's a lot like Takashi...except he's a bit more...stubborn," said Mira.  
"I agree," replied Matilda.  
"Well then...time to have some fun don't you think girls?" snickered Nana.

All three turned to the completely flustered Rooster, whose face was about as red as a pepper right now.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure you have a really nice time while you're here," said Matilda.

The amnesiac Cat Person swallowed hard, feeling her reading glasses slip down her nose. Call it the instincts of a Level 4 Adventurer, but… Oh, crap.

Matilda, her hands still grasping Rooster's bosom, then tried to pull away, but of course in signature Matilda fashion, she tripped over seemingly nothing and once all the chaos and dust cleared, she had a face full of Rooster's bosom. It was… the usual scene, except it was Matilda getting smothered instead of the person below her. Nana rolled her eyes.

"You're **such** a klutz Matilda…" she sighed.

Once the complete and utter embarrassment of the changing room was gone, but likely never to be forgotten by all four parties involved (except for Matilda. Rooster got the feeling that girl was pretty ditzy), the amnesiac Cat Person emerged onto the beach.

It wasn't just that she wasn't wearing armor and without her Gem-Sho since it was back at the Underworld Dormitory, being serviced by Frobo in preparation for the mission into the arena, although that was admittedly part of it. Rooster always felt the least vulnerable when she was either in water, very high up, or wearing her full armor and carrying her weapon, but that wasn't entirely it. She was feeling vulnerable for entirely different reasons on top of it. Even in a towel, she'd never shown this much skin. And honestly, the amount of skin she WASN'T showing only made her feel more exposed.

As she stepped out of the changing room and onto the beach, she anxiously tugged at the spaghetti noodle-like straps of her bottoms, while trying to ignore her top. As modest as Rooster was, the upper half of her body was always a source of social discomfort for her.

The swimsuit, if it could be called such, that her own Captain and mother figure, Morlin, had picked out for her was… barely even there. Morlin had called it a 'micro thong bikini.' Aside from three patches of cloth to cover three essential spots, it was essentially all string the thickness of an angel's hair. As she walked out onto the beach, her fluffy, tan-ringed tail was trying to go between her legs, but failing because said legs were too tightly closed. Rooster quickly realized that crossing her arms OVER her breasts would not be a valid option. She would have to cross them UNDER them so as to prevent… movement.

With a blush on her pale, freckled face, her bright green, cat-like eyes gazed around at the beach. It seemed everyone else was already out and having fun in the sand and surf, and while only one person was more exposed than her, they were all still showing a lot of skin, and it baffled her as to how they could be okay with it.

Out front was Akio and Relia, who were sitting under a parasol with him laying in her lap and being fed grapes. Relia wore a dark green two piece but also had a light blue sarong around her waist. Akio was shirtless and wore dark blue trunks. Next to them was Vanna, who was wearing a pair of black shorts along with the top half of a brown one piece. She was sitting in a recliner, soaking up the sun with a smile on her face.

Dina was knee deep in the water, dressed in a white one piece while also wearing a straw hat. There was however a lack of the Lee sisters as well as Schiede.

 _"Guess they didn't feel like having some fun today… Not that I see how **anyone** could have fun showing this much skin."_

Takashi and Ayame, who had arrived earlier, were also nowhere to be seen.

Bell and Liliruca seemed to be burying Welf in the sand. The albino 15-year-old was wearing some simple brown trunks and a black sleeveless shirt, while Lili was wearing a simple, modest red one piece. Lili was proof that just because Pallums were tiny, that didn't mean they couldn't be well-endowed. Welf wore a pair of red trunks with black trim and a black stripe on both outer legs.

Mikoto and Haruhime were nearby, gazing out at the ocean. Mikoto was wearing some sarashi and fundoshi, while Haruhime was wearing a yellow bikini. The bottom was a thong, but more covering than Rooster's own, while the top consisted of two thick strings with patches of cloth between them to cover her breasts, leaving her shoulders bare.

Hestia was sitting under a nearby tree atop a beach blanket, enjoying the shade, atmosphere, and ambience. She looked quite comfortable. She was wearing a very scanty, pure white bikini that Rooster found wasn't much better than Haruhime's, and very nicely showed off her childlike, yet buxom figure. Her blue eyes gazed at the members of her Familia like a watchful mother, though paid special attention to Bell in a not-so-motherly way.

Her God, Hades, and her Captain, Morlin, weren't far from Hestia. Hades and his wife were sitting side by side in two lounge chairs, reading under some umbrellas. Hades was dressed in a pair of hibiscus blue swim trunks, a simple white muscle T, some neon pink flip-flops, and a beach hat. Combined with the sunglasses and visible sunscreen on his face, she couldn't help getting a very fatherly vibe from him, like he would pull out the grill any second.

Morlin, on the other hand, wasn't dressed much better than what she had made Rooster wear. It was some kind of sling-like swimsuit making the shape of a V, narrow strips covering her large, tanned breasts. Matilda was supposedly a DDD/F, and Morlin was probably the same size. Aside from the swimsuit, which was arguably a one piece but probably showing more skin than any two piece, she also wore a pair of sunglasses, helping with a 'beach mother' feel to match Hades' 'beach father.' She was barefoot, but really, shoes were optional on the beach. Besides, when your legs below the knees were made of tree bark, you really didn't need to wear shoes unless you were walking on hot coals. Yeah, they didn't just LOOK like tree bark. Morlin's hands, feet, shins, and forearms really WERE made of tree bark.

Little Sunny was wearing a frilly pink casual one piece, building a sand castle with Tessa, who was wearing a tankini with an attached skirt. Pure white, of course. Rooster couldn't really think of a time her adopted sister WASN'T wearing white. Tessa couldn't swim, so making a sand castle with the flower of the Hades Familia seemed the logical choice.

Ian was off to the side with Lucia. He was wearing a pair of white fundoshi, while the blind archer was wearing a very modest, plain one piece in a pale green color. She seemed to be helping him put on a blindfold (the irony was not lost on Rooster) to strike a watermelon with a bat, but the Werewolf samurai was clearly having little patience for the Runarl archer's insistent help.

Ray seemed to be working up the courage to enter the water, tapping his toe in the tide to test it. He was dressed in a half-white, half-light blue pair of swim trunks with one leg longer than the other.

Runemeyer was wearing a completely black, full-body wetsuit, even his hands covered. Rooster had long discovered why the Dark Elf knight covered himself completely from the neck down years ago, but still felt he shouldn't care what others thought when it came to that. Maplehoof should've been left at the inn, but in typical Runemeyer fashion, she was there with him, running around the beach like a wild stallion… or mare, rather. Runemeyer, even at the beach, seemed unable to relax, as his almost-glowing yellow eyes gazed about at the people on the beach like some kind of guardian or lifeguard.

Sahgi was dressed in nothing more than a purple speedo, Darude nearby in a pair of tight black trunks like the kind used in competitive swimming. She overheard the Hume Bunny wizard tell the 16-year-old Boaz bard Supporter that they were his "training speedos" until he graduated to full lady-killer. It seemed he was teaching Darude proper beach flirting. Rooster only wished Sahgi would give it a rest. She knew by now he wasn't the manwhore he appeared to be, but so few others did, and he was very likely giving the Hestia Familia the wrong impression.

Tairona stood under an umbrella, rubbing sunscreen on herself. The short, yet surprisingly buxom for her height, Amazon cleric was wearing a bikini with a strapless top, soft pink in color like most of her clothing. Her ever-present pink bow was atop her head like always, and she noticed her casting glances at where Runemeyer stood in the center of the beach, watching over his Familia like some kind of stalwart guardian. The gloomy Witch Doctor hid it well, but Rooster knew, she had it bad for the Dark Elf knight. She was actually tempted to do something about it, but knew it wasn't her business, nor her place, to play matchmaker.

Jersey was in the water, likely trying to hide herself. She had worn boots even to the beach, but at least Rooster knew by know why it was actually quite necessary for the Supporter to hide her feet. It seemed Morlin had struck again, as Jersey, despite her shyness, was wearing a modest, frilly bikini in a yellow and red checkered pattern. The non-sheer sarong and large straw hat with strings to tie it to her chin, however, Rooster knew was also Morlin's idea, but for the Supporter's own good. Still, though, the words "too fat for a two piece" came to mind, and Rooster wasn't sure why. Yes, Jersey was the most buxom girl there and a full cup size bigger than her, but unlike Rooster's supermodel-like figure, it came at the cost of quite a bit of… pudge.

Alivia was running around the beach, enjoying the wide open sun for her to move around in. Her modest bust was covered in a sensible bikini with a front tie and side-tie bottoms. It was black and white in color, of course. When did the Hume Bunny scout from the Hermes Familia wear anything BUT black and white?

Sighing, Rooster figured she needed to do something BESIDES stand here with her arms cradling her bosom where everyone could see her. Feeling drawn to the water, no doubt due to her Turkish van urges, Rooster set out to go swimming in the ocean, maybe even join Jersey in trying to hide herself in the waves.

Tessa sat on the beach, making a sand castle with Sunny. It was a sore spot with her that the 12-year-old half-Pallum, half-Dwarf was curvier than her, but the War Tiger didn't let that bother her too much. Sunny was just the cutest kid.

"Hey, aren't you the Anal-Retentive Bookworm?"

Tessa cringed at the sound of her Alias. She supposed being one of the few Level 2 Supporters in Orario had its downsides. Turning, she was relieved to see the two talking to her were girls. Who were they, again? Ummm… Mira and Nana, was it?

"Uh… That's me, yeah." Tessa addressed the two much taller girls, standing as she left Sunny to continue making the sand castle.  
"Wow, you're pretty tiny. Every other War Tiger I've ever met has been almost as big as a Boaz." Mira commented, much to the furrowed brow of Tessa.  
"Aren't you also the only Scholar Class in Orario?" Nana asked.

The diminutive War Tiger brightened at her claim to fame.

"That's me!"  
"Can your Scan spell really tell just about anything about whatever it's used on?" Mira asked.  
"Not exactly, but most things that matter, yeah. And the exact information I get varies depending on whether it's an object, civilian, Adventurer, or Monster."  
"Is it true it can tell a girl's measurements and cup size?" Nana asked, smirking playfully.

Tessa blushed. She quickly recited Rooster's measurements in her head out of habit. No one would ever know she knew them, and it would be a secret she would take to her grave.

"Um… Why do you ask?" she obfuscated.  
"Well, I just consider it ironic, since you don't have any measurements to speak of." Mira pointed out.

The War Tiger's face twisted into anger.

"Hey! That's not true! My measurements are 28/22/30!"  
"Yup! And she's a AA-cup! Four feet, nine inches tall!" the adorable blonde twelve year old added from where she was patting wet sand into a rook-like shape for their castle.

Mira and Nana turned to each other, high-fiving.

"Told you it would work!" Mira cheered.  
"Didn't doubt you for a second!" The gypsy concurred.

Tessa felt her face burning. She only prayed Hestia didn't talk to her. She wouldn't be able to handle a girl seven inches shorter and about her body structure having five hundred percent more tit than her.

 **~ o ~**

Rooster sighed deeply; the sun was a lot hotter than she was expecting and with everyone else having fun in the water, and thus nearing her proximity, she decided to emerge from the surf to spend some time alone. She continued up the shore until the sensitive feline ears atop her head flicked, picked up two familiar voices. She quickly made her way to a large rock and peered around the corner to see...Takashi and Ayame?

The elf couple was sitting down on a blanket just under a tree as Takashi fed Ayame what appeared to be a brownie. She was still wearing her white two piece but now had a crimson sarong wrapped around her waist. Her long silver hair was let out and flowed with the wind but a new detail was the addition of a cherry blossom in her hair. Takashi was wearing a long sleeved white shirt along with black training pants, having abandoned his plain black t-shirt and dark blue trunks at some point during the day. Her feline stealth helping her stay hidden, Rooster felt her long, bushy tail sway back and forth behind her beyond her control. Spying on people always seemed to stimulate her feline hunting urges.

 _"They're...so happily in love...it's beautiful to see,"_

After Ayame finished eating the brownie, Takashi lay back against the tree and closed his eyes with a smile.

"We really needed this trip," he said.  
"It really has been a while since we just got some time to enjoy ourselves," she replied.

He nodded in agreement but then looked to her with a serious face.

"I...didn't upset you did I?" he asked.  
"What do you mean?" she replied.

He scratched the back of his head.

"When I agreed to teach Lucia how to make arrows...I mean, Morlin did shout that little tidbit...and there was also Nana and Mira...not to mention Rooster," he continued.  
"You think I don't trust you?" she asked with a giggle.  
"It's not that...I just don't want you to feel uncomfortable," he replied.

She shook her head.

"I love you Takashi...there's no way that I'd be uncomfortable with you being around other women because I know at the end of the day, you'd never betray my trust like that," she explained.

He sighed in deep relief and laughed nervously.

"Sometimes...I don't think I deserve a woman as good as you are," he said.  
"And sometimes I think you're too hard on yourself…"

She sat in his lap before leaning in and kissing him. Rooster felt butterflies in her stomach, her tail's sway picking up speed, and she could tell her face was about the shade of an apple right now.

 _"...Is this what I feel for…"_

"You alright?"

Rooster felt her spirit leave her body and had to muffle her cat-like yowl of a scream as to not alert the nearby Elf couple. She turned to see that it was Leon, who once again appeared out of seemingly nowhere, with a concerned look on his face.

"Your face is red...are you having a fever?" he asked.

He placed a hand on her forehead, which only deepened the blush on her face.

A mild, internal panic attack hit her. Paladin! Half-Elf! Leon! Hand! Forehead! Abort! Abort!

She shook her head vigorously and held a finger to her lips as she pointed to the rock. Leon peered around the corner to see the two elves still kissing each other. Much to her surprise, Leon also began to blush. He then looked at her and all of a sudden, his eyes widened and his face became so red, she could've sworn he turned into a bottle of ketchup.

"W-W-Who made you wear that?!" he gasped.

Rooster instinctively moved her arms up to shield herself, loosely in the standard female nudity covering position of one arm lowered to between the legs and one arm crossed over the chest. Problem was that Rooster has so much… chest… that one arm really wouldn't do much.

"C-Captain made me. Said I should flaunt what I have, Paladin." the ginger Cat Person nearly mumbled; she was **so** embarrassed.

Leon's eyes softened as he removed the towel from around his neck and wrapped it around her.

"...You've got to stop letting Morlin decide things for you," he said nervously.

Rooster sighed in relief, happy to have something other than just string and three scraps of red cloth covering her. She clutched the large beach towel around herself like a security blanket, but idly wondered why Leon was giving her something to cover with instead of ogling her like the others. Especially Mira, Nana, Matilda, and Tessa… Was it just her, or was she just surprisingly popular with girls? She had a Rank G in Charm, but was the stupid Development Ability gender-specific, or something?

"Because if you're not comfortable with it then I don't believe you should do it," he replied.  
"Well… I really can't deny an order from my Captain, Paladin." Rooster said, pushing her reading glasses up her nose in some naive hope it would hide her still somewhat red face.

Maybe she could just pass it off as a sunburn?

Leon shook his head.

"Don't ever let someone force you to do something you don't want to do...no matter who it is," he replied.

For some reason, he seemed to zone out of the situation, as if reflecting on the very words he just spoke.

Rooster quirked a crimson eyebrow at his words. Her mind quickly fought a battle between 'ask him out of concern' or 'none of my business.' It seemed concern was quickly winning out, but a second glance into those dark green pools made her think that… No, an interrogation was not what her Paladin needed right now. For now he, and admittedly, she as well… just needed to loosen up a bit. That's what this trip was for, wasn't it?

"Paladin? Shall we stop spying on our new allies and… go back to the beach? You'd, um… be surprised how calming water can be," the Turkish van Cat Person offered, tapping her fingers together in an awkward manner.

Leon seemed to absorb her words and much to her surprise, he held out a hand, despite his red face. Even more surprising, he smiled at her.

"That's...actually why I came looking for you,"

Rooster was certain that, as red as her hair was, her face was redder.

"Wh-What? You, uh…"

Rooster is currently rebooting. Searched for file 'why would Leon be looking for me?' File not found.

"Why would you be… looking for me?" She finally managed to get out, her bright green eyes directed downward in a manner that made her reading glasses slide down the bridge of her nose.  
"Because I wanted to spend some time with you...just the two of us,"

For a moment, Rooster was sure she was frozen solid despite the storm of warmth flowing inside her… Particularly the lower 'inside her.' For a moment, she was speechless. The little angel on her shoulder was screaming **'He loves you back,'** while the little devil on her shoulder was screaming **'he's just being a concerned Party member! No one would ever love a weirdo like you!'**

She silenced both shoulder advocates, both voices in her head, and instead reached out, taking the masculine, calloused hand that the Half-Elf Paladin was still offering her. A single, large thump sounded in her chest. Wow… Wielding a huge shield and heavy mace really helped with hand strength, didn't it? She'd never noticed before, since he'd always grabbed her hand during the middle of some dangerous situation, or when one or both of them was wearing gloves.

She cleared her throat.

"Very well, Paladin. Let's head back to the others."  
"I have another idea...there's a nice spot about two minutes away from here...I already left a blanket and some food my mother made...so we could go there inste-"  
"We'll go now. **Food**!"

The Cat Person reached a hand to her mouth, surprised, and deeply embarrassed, at her outburst. Leon chuckled softly.

"Sure...but can you do me a favor?,"

Carefully removing her palm from her mouth, the amnesiac Magic Knight quirked a crimson eyebrow.

"What?"

Anything to speed up the consumption of a delicious meal.

"Call me Leon...we've been friends for a very long time and I think we've gotten past the point where titles are the way in which we refer to one another,"

The debate in Rooster's head didn't last long. Or occurred. At all. For food? For Leon's mother's food? For Paladin? It was no contest.

"Uh… Okay. P-P-Pal-Leon."  
"It's a start. Next time, say it without stuttering," he said, again chuckling.

Rooster couldn't help feeling a light, airy fluttering in her chest at the sound of that chuckle. As the two walked off further down the beach, hand-in-hand, neither noticed the single patch of red cloth and string thong that had fallen on the ground when Rooster had slipped the towel around herself.

* * *

 **Meanwhile- The Main Beach**

Matilda laid on her stomach, sighing contentedly as the sun beat down on her bare back and rear. Nothing like sunning on the beach, especially since, like Tessa in the Hades Familia, she couldn't swim. Though, it baffled her why everyone else was wearing magic armor instead of strutting around au naturale like her. All she was wearing, really, was her glasses.

It was difficult to do this, too. After struggling to figure out how to lay on her stomach with her boobies in the way, she finally figured out she had to dig two holds in the sand and set the blanket on top of it. It worked surprisingly well!

Opening one of her blue-gray eyes, Matilda glanced at where those two members of the Hades Familia, Ian and Lucia, were. It seemed the Werewolf had finally gotten tired of the Runarl trying to get him to wear a blindfold to hit the watermelon, so he finally snarled and walked off.

"Oh, yoo-hoo! Ian, was it?"

The Werewolf samurai stopped in his tracks, turning to look at the completely naked Cat Person cleric laying face-down on a beach blanket. His eyes showed no reaction to all her visible skin, likely a master of self-control. Challenge accepted!

"Wanna do me a favor? Grab that sunblock from that basket and bring it over here?"

Sighing audibly, the Werewolf moved to do so, Morlin nudging Hades in the shoulder as their Familia member neared to grab the bottle from their basket. Hades looked, though his expression didn't change. The nature Spirit, however, seemed mischievously delighted at what might take place soon, lowering her sunglasses to get a better look.

Ian walked over with it, but when he simply dropped it in front of her, Matilda spoke before he could turn and walk away.

"Do me a favor, Wolfy? Spread some on my back? I'm a big girl. My arms can't cover all of me."

Groaning audibly, as if clearly not having the patience for this, the Werewolf knelt next to the very naked, very curvy Cat Person and squirted some of the white, suggestive fluid on his masculine, clawed hands.

Setting to work, his palms touched her back, but Matilda jumped.

"Yipes! That's cold! Warm your palms up a bit, big guy!"

Releasing a noise that seemed halfway between a sigh and a growl, Ian rubbing his palms together, several others around the beach turning to watch what might unfold between these two polar opposites.

As Ian's now-warmed and freshly-squirted hands moved to Matilda's back, a deep sigh escaped the Cat Person cleric. Despite being such a big, aggressive, "strong and silent" kind of guy, his hands, while still firm and masculine, were surprisingly soft and gentle. As his palms expertly, as if he'd done this before, spread the lotion on her supple back, several of the others, namely Mira and Nana, gathered around.

"That looks like it feels good." Mira mentioned, eyeing Matilda's face as she sighed and made borderline-moans.  
"Mind giving me that when you're done, Mattie?" Nana asked, though whether she was talking about Ian or the bottle of sunblock was open to interpretation.

Ian continued down her back, stopping right at where her large, perky rear curved upward, and moving back up to handle her shoulders. The feel of his hands, she had to admit, was nearly orgasmic. Putting on a fake show was not something in Matilda's business portfolio. Her near-moans were completely genuine.

Ian seemed like he was about to stand up, her back covered, but a hand on his wrist stopped him.

"Hang on. I can't get all of my legs, now can I? Help? Please?"

The Werewolf's expression softened. Not his usual scowl or glare, but rather, a look of just mild annoyance.

"Pweeease? Onegaaaiii?"

Sighing, Ian kneeled back down, squirting some fresh white fluid on his hands. Scooting further down the cleric's body, the samurai began gentle, stroking ministrations to the backs of her shapely, meaty thighs, using his thumb to get the back of her knees in a manner that caused the nude Cat Person to thrust her neck up in pleasurable surprise. His hands continued down her calves, his palms kneading them in what, to many, would unmistakably look like a message if his hands weren't white with sunblock.

Matilda, chancing a glance to her side, would make no mistake about what she saw. While likely invisible to anyone but the most perceptive of lustful observers, there was a subtle, but huge, bulge in that fundoshi.

The Werewolf's hands finished on the heel of her feet, which were somewhat large for a girl, but after he stopped, he didn't stand up like last time. Matilda was about to ask he do ANOTHER area, but instead, he squirted more in his hands and moved to do it himself. This guy learned fast, hee hee!

Repositioning himself for a better angle, and with Nana and Mira gazing with red faces and eyes wide, stunned, Ian's palms clasped her large, bulbous posterior, causing was was unmistakably a moan that Matilda didn't even TRY to restrain. His palms smoothly glided over the large globes of her rear, causing a series of panting and moaning from their owner. His fingers came dangerously close to the treasure between her thighs, maddeningly so, without actually touching it. His fingers, however, went pretty far up her waist, and when his strong yet surprisingly dexterous fingers kneaded her curvy, wide hips, Matilda let out a cry that could easily be mistaken for the obvious, but… was it?

When Ian finished, he again didn't get up. Rather, he seemed to be catching his breath. As Tessa watched her older brother from a distance, she could honestly say… she'd never seen Ian this flustered before.

"Mmmmm… That felt good, Ian." the Cat Person sighed in a husky, throaty voice, an unmistakable purring sound coming from her as she said it.  
"I may be the cleric, but you have magic, healing fingers. I swear, you took care of aches and pains I didn't even know I had. Now, how about you get my front?"

Matilda was then met with a swat from Nana's left hand.

"Not in this lifetime,"

Mira's previously happy face was now replaced with a look of death, plastered onto Ian. He sent a yellow-eyed glare and snarl right back at her, while Matilda jumped at the spank from Nana. Pouting, the Cat Person reached out and traced a finger over the bulge in Ian's fundoshi, making the Werewolf visibly jump, and even break his glaring contest with the scyther.

"Too bad. I would've enjoyed feeling those strong, soft hands on my boobies," she giggled.

Ian looked visibly uncomfortable, but didn't react in anger or lash out at the single finger stroke to his package. Tessa and Morlin, watching from a distance, couldn't deny what they saw… They both had their suspicions that Ian had taken up Scarlett on her 'tumble discount' once before, but… He'd never been affected by anyone like that before, not that they could remember. Tessa felt a pang she might be losing her Onii-chan, while Morlin… saw potential. The wood nymph then turned around and smiled at the sight of a friendly face.

"Bell my dear! Could you carry this barrel inside for me?" she said.

The silver haired Adventurer, who not long ago was known as the "Little Rookie," turned his attention from admiring the sight of the water to her.

"Sure!" he replied.

Morlin then looked around for Hestia and found her sitting in a chair just beside the entrance to the inn.

"Hestia honey! Could you be a dear and make sure that all the firewood for this evening is sorted out?" she called out.

Hestia sighed; she clearly did not want to leave her comfortable spot.

"Okay," she said.

She entered the building and moments later, Bell did as well as he wheeled the barrel of wine in. Morlin then looked around, spotting Darude who was sitting on the sand.

"Darude! Come here my dear!" she said.

The boy jumped to his feet and quickly made his way over to her.

"Yes mom?" he said.

She laughed softly; she sort of liked it when he called her that.

"I need you to do something for me… wanna cause some chaos?"

 **…**

 _"Ugh… why do I always get stuck doing the boring jobs…"_

Hestia made a mental note of the four bags of charcoal and three stacks of firewood that Amaya dropped off with her entourage.

 _"That's a lot of stuff… I guess when Morlin wants to have a cookout, she means it,"_

"Kami-sama!"

Hestia turned to see Bell, who was smiling at her as he finished wheeling the barrel into the room.

"Enjoying the scenery?" he asked.

She nodded with a smile.

"Not a fan of the tedious work that we've been getting but I guess no trip is without even a bit of work," she said.

Bell laughed nervously.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

Hestia sighed inwardly to herself.

"You've come such a long way… it's hard to believe that you've barely been with us for a more than a year and you've already come so far," she said.

He laughed nervously.

"Well I have everyone to thank for that… especially you," he replied.

A familiar warmth enveloped the goddess's heart as she felt a blush creep onto her face. It was always this way, ever since the day Bell first joined the familia. She always had a good feeling about him and truly believed that he could become someone great. Though she didn't particularly like the fact that he didn't seem to be focused on her and instead on a famous figure from Loki's familia, she nevertheless grew to love Bell, far deeper than she originally thought. Due to how much the familia expanded, Hestia often found herself at home by herself while everyone else went out to work. At everyone's insistence, Hestia didn't get any sort of job to keep herself occupied and often times, she would only get to see a lot of her children at night when work was over.

Until she met Bell Cranel. Bell showed a unique type of dedication, always going out of his way to make sure she was alright and never occupying himself enough to pull him away from her. Even though Hestia knew that everyone else was doing their jobs in order to provide for themselves and most importantly for her, she still couldn't help but feel lonely at times. He solved all of those problems. She spent a lot of time, talking and relaxing with Bell in her room about anything they could think of. They quickly became friends and it didn't take long for Hestia to realize that her feelings stretched far deeper than that of only a mere friend or son. She however, had no idea if Bell reciprocated those feelings due to another woman.

Aiz Wallenstein, the sword princess of the Loki familia was a very famous figure. She was the one who saved Bell's life during his first solo outing into the dungeon and as a result of her saving him, it inspired him to become stronger. Hestia even noted that a lot of the reason Bell progressed so quickly was because of his feelings for her. Though she felt immensely jealous of Aiz, she eventually learned to look past her feelings and understand that above all, it was Bell's happiness that mattered to her most.

"Kami-sama?"

Hestia snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed Bell sitting down in a two seater couch. He patted the seat beside him. She smiled and happily sat with him.

"I… I've been thinking lately," he began.

Hestia looked at him in disbelief.

"This mission that we're on… it's very dangerous isn't it?" he asked.

She nodded.

"This is something that everyone's been looking out for… even before you joined," she explained.

The albino warrior sighed.

"I… want to do more for us," he said.  
"What do you mean?"

He shook his head.

"Everyone's been doing so much… everyone appears to be getting ahead while I'm here lagging behind… Vanna is the strongest of all of us… I have to get stronger,"

That was Bell Cranel for you; always seeking to do more for his family. It was his innate kindness that truly caught Hestia's heart and even when he was making a decision for himself, he always seemed to have the sense to factor in her own well being.

"You… you're amazing,"

Bell looked at her as if confused.

"Ever since you joined us, you're been a shining example of what determination can do… you've broken so many records in the past seven months that you've literally taken Orario by surprise… even Gods and Goddesses themselves,"

He shook his head.

"You… you're so kind to everyone and even though you really don't have to be… you still choose to, it's how Lili, Welf and all the others decided to join us as well… you've done so much in such little time,"  
"I can do more… I know I can,"

That determination of his… it was so refreshing to see. She hadn't seen this kind of determination since Takashi came all those years ago…

"Kami-sama? You're crying… "

Hestia gasped audibly and put her hand on her face to see that she indeed was shedding tears. She tried to wipe them away, but Bell produced a handkerchief out of seemingly nowhere and was already wiping her face. She smiled at him.

"Bell… I need to ask you something," she said.  
"Sure," he replied.

She bit her lip and sucked in a heavy breath.

"How… do you feel about Aiz?" she asked.

Bell shook his head, smiling at her.

"She's a person I respect greatly… she saved my life and she drove me to become the person I am now… she also taught me a lot about not just being an adventurer but also a man,"

His eyes fell.

"At one point… I thought I was in love with her even,"

Hestia could feel her heart breaking in two as those words left his lips.

"I see," she replied.  
"That is until I realized something else,"

Much to her surprise, Bell planted a kiss on her forehead and smiled at her.

"I love you far more than I could ever love her Kami-sama!" he said with a bright smile.

Hestia didn't even give him a chance to respond as she tackled him to the couch, threw her arms around him and captured his lips in a kiss. Her happiness only grew… when he kissed her back. She had dreamt of this moment happening for a long time… and who would've thought it would take a bunch of slavers to wreak havoc on the land in order for this to finally give them the chance. Bell slowly ran his hands to her waist and she tightened her grip around his neck, deepening the kiss. The few seconds they were connected… it was as if the rest of the world didn't exist, even the watchful eyes of Nana, Mira and Morlin went completely unnoticed.

 _"Someone's gonna get teased tonight…"_

It was as Hestia, pressed against Bell's bare chest, began to untie her bikini top, that Morlin shooed Mira and Nana away, though the wood nymph cast one last mischievous glance before she left with them.

 _"I'm sure she'll let Bell know **exactly** what's on her mind,"_


End file.
